REAL MADRID
Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr switch goalscoring roles at Real Madrid
The Brazilian duo have switched roles at Real Madrid in terms of their goalscoring numbers, with the previous top scorer now going through a drought.
Vinicius Júnior arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2018, at just 18-years-old, and at the beginning it was tough for the player to find his place at the club under the orders of Lopetegui. With Solari at the helm, he made a definitive leap forward and found his feet in white socks, becoming a fantastic dribbler and a chance-creator... but a terrible finisher.
Rodrygo landed in the Spanish capital in 2019 at just over 18-years-old and immediately found life a lot easier to adapt at the club, given that Zidane declared himself early on to be an admirer of his talent and style; in his case, Rodrygo was spoken of as more of a sporadic player, but one who was a lot more secure in front of goal.
Rodrygo suffering a goals drought
And now, five years on after Vini’s arrival and just four after Rodrygo touched down, the pair appear to have changed their roles and characteristics within the team: now the ex-Flamengo forward looks like scoring is the easiest thing in the world (22 goals in 2021-22; 23 in 2022-23), while the ex-Santos winger, after his explosive 22-23 season (19 goals), is going through a period of drought - he has only scored once this season.
It is a drop off in performance that nobody expected from Rodrygo, above all considering that Ancelotti’s system puts him a lot closer to goal and as a result, see more chances nearer to the net. His natural position at Real Madrid has historically been on the right wing, despite preferring the left, where Vinicius has made a home for himself. Last season, due to the injuries suffered by Karim Benzema, Rodrygo ended up playing as the focal point in the middle of the attacking line, something which increased his goalscoring output tremendously.
Rodrygo has not adapted to the 4-4-2
However, he does not look comfortable in Ancelotti’s 4-4-2 system, one which gives priority to Bellingham - who has 10 goals in 10 games - and the player himself explained it while on duty of Brazil: “it’s important to be able to play different roles”, he said, “I’ve always said that I find it easy to play on the wings, I just don’t like playing number 9, but at my club I have to do it. Here (with Brazil) I can move around the pitch, which has helped my game. It’s important to be able to do all these roles, since it increases your chances of playing, that’s fundamental for me.” As a curious side note, he is not the first to complain about his position at Real Madrid this international break.
There is no Benzema at Real Madrid anymore but Joselu has come into the side; a player who began life as a substitute but is now seeing more playing time as the Spaniard has scored five goals this season. Rodrygo was the preseason choice for the number nine role, but with just one goal and one assist so far, his output has reduced heavily and unexpectedly. Vinicius, for his part, has 3 goals and 1 assist, but his numbers have been affected by missed games: even so, he participates in a goal every 111 minutes.
What was Rodrygo and Vinicus’ record in their first season?
These statistics are wildly different to the numbers the players put out during their start at the club. In Vini Jr’s case, he needed 17.6 shots and 6 of them on target to score 1 of the 5 goals in his first season. This year he has a goal every 5.6 shots and 2 on target. His rate of shooting has dropped slightly from once every 20 minutes to 26, but his goals were less frequent, with one coming every 148 minutes now instead of 348 back then.
Rodrygo has suffered the same phenomenon, but the other way around: in his first season he needed only 3.7 shots and 2.1 on target to score; this season he has had 38 shots and 11 on target, scoring just once. In 2019-20 he was more selective with his shooting, having an effort on goal every 54 minutes and an effort on target every 94; now he shoots once every 21 minutes and on target every 73 - but they are just not finding the back of the net.
Rodrygo himself admits there is a problem; after the game against Osasuna he wrote on social media that “things don’t always work out as you like, but it won’t be for a lack of work and dedication”. Madrid can’t have a season of success without seeing the best of Rodrygo, as the Brazilian duo are a source of great hope for the side: be it LaLiga or the Champions League. For what it’s worth, the Brazilian’s record in Europe’s elite tournament is stunning, with a goal participation (16 goals & 9 assists) coming every 86 minutes.
