Xabi Alonso was thinking of benching Real Madrid superstar even before Oviedo clash | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso shocked the world with his decision to bench Vinicius Jr last weekend as he started the Brazilian superstar on the bench for Los Blancos’ game against Real Oviedo.

Vinicius Jr.’s performances in recent times have been far from his best and the player has not earned any favours with his lack of consistency and fall in output – something that deteriorated right from the time he was snubbed of the Ballon d’Or last year.

The manager’s decision to bench him, especially given his lack of synchrony with Kylian Mbappe, was thus not surprising in the least.

Yet, it required great courage to go out and bench the player, who for all practical reasons, has been synonymous with Real Madrid for years.

A long-thought decision

As relayed by Mundo Deportivo in a recent report, the manager has been thinking of benching Vinicius for a while now, and yesterday was not the first time he considered the change.

Vinicius was benched vs Oviedo. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

The Spanish outlet, in fact, relays that Alonso was very close to benching Vinicius in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal against PSG which the team eventually lost.

His plan was to start Mbappe and Gonzalo Garcia as the forwards in a 3-5-2 setup on the night, but everything changed after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s last-minute injury that forced a change in plan and reinstated Vinicius in the lineup.

Last weekend, however, Alonso pulled the trigger and kept the Brazilian superstar on the bench, sending a clear message that no player has a guaranteed place in the lineup.

Eventually, the talisman did come on past the hour mark and went on to play a crucial role in Real Madrid’s two late goals on the night.