Vinicius starts on the bench against OM, Xabi Alonso speaks out on the decision | OneFootball

Vinicius

Tuesday night, Xabi Alonso made another bold move by starting Vinicius on the bench against OM. The coach explained his decision.

Real Madrid overcame OM and successfully kicked off their Champions League campaign (2-1) on Tuesday night. Naturally, Vinicius Jr's presence on the bench at kickoff generated a lot of buzz. On the El Larguero set, many journalists were shocked by Xabi Alonso's decision.

"The warning sent to Vinicius is very serious. He's the first one we need to focus on because he's not performing. He tried, he tried to break through, but he hasn't managed it. He has to accept that this is now Mbappé's Madrid. Courtois and the center forward are untouchable," was heard, along with: "We don't realize the magnitude of what's happening at Real Madrid… with Vinicius. He should have won the Ballon d'Or ten months ago and now he's a substitute. Rodrygo has had two good games. He’s started on the bench twice out of five games. He's not an undisputed starter at Real Madrid."

For his part, Xabi Alonso was direct about the subject. "We are in a very demanding part of the schedule, we need everyone... We need Vini, Rodrygo, Franco... It's important that everyone feels valued. If there are private conversations, they stay at Valdebebas... There will be moments for everyone. No one is going to play every game. No one should feel offended for not playing one match. Vini came on well... The substitutions had a positive impact on the match," he explained after the game.