Answering Questions about Vinicius, Tchouameni and Carreras

From last week's Q&A mailbag.

Cover image from Eurosport.

Question:

Answer: Vinicius Jr has been Real Madrid’s top scorer since Karim Benzema left the club. Despite a rough season, he is still the team main attacking threat from the left who can create something out of nothing. He ranks 91st percentile for non-penalty goals + expected assists over the last 365 days; 98th and 97th for progressive carries and successful take-ons. Going back to the tough season—it’s still just one season where the entire team has underperformed, not just Vinicius alone. He still has a lot of credit in the bank from the three seasons proceeding 2024-25 to simply drop him out of the XI.

Question:

Answer: Xabi Alonso’s career as a player already influences his tactics. He played in possession-heavy teams for most of his career. As a coach, he wants to keep the ball as much as possible. At Leverkusen, many were surprised at his persistence with possession since that’s really not very fashionable in German football. But it worked remarkably well for him.

Eduardo Camavinga will find a place in midfield. Jude Bellingham will be out for a long time. Things will be moved around in the midfield.

Question:

Answer: Alvaro Carreras. But Fran Garcia will not be a total outcast either.

Question:

Answer: Interesting question. Real Madrid have players who can deputize as the number six, i.e, Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, even Fede Valverde. But there is no one among the midfielders who can drop back as a center-back like Tchouameni does. Dean Huijsen’s role will become even more important if Tchouameni is not available for some reason.