New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) Manager Jose Mourinho has backed Vinicius Junior to return to his best form after the Real Madrid forward was booed by sections of the home crowd during the club’s 2-1 Champions League win over Inter on Wednesday.
Vinicius was substituted in the 87th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, prompting some supporters to express frustration with his performance. The Brazil international had struggled to make a decisive impact against Inter’s organised defence.
However, Mourinho refused to criticise the winger and instead highlighted the effort he put in for the team.
“He isn’t at his best, and he knows it, but he’s working hard to be the Vinicius who decides games. Without being at his best, he’s working harder than ever,” Mourinho told reporters after the match.
The Portuguese manager also pointed to fatigue as one of the reasons Vinicius was unable to maintain his defensive work late in the game.
“In the moments that he wasn’t able to drop back and defend, it was because of fatigue. I have to value that a lot. I have a lot of respect for this Vinicius. “The time will come when he decides games and wins us games,” he said.
Mourinho also defended Vinicius against criticism of his performance by explaining the difficulties Real Madrid’s attackers faced against Inter’s tactical setup.
“If he works, he’ll always have my support,” he said. “He worked very hard for the team. “It’s very hard for wingers to play against a side that uses three defenders at the back and wing-backs.”
The Real Madrid boss believes Vinicius could have made a much bigger difference had he been at his best, particularly in one-on-one situations.
Mourinho stated, “Clearly, if Vini had been at his best during the one-on-ones on the left wing, he would have dominated the game. That’s what we expect of him. But he gave everything.”
Real Madrid secured three points in their Champions League opener thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde, despite Inter managing to keep the hosts under pressure for long periods.
–IANS
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