Boss stands by Vinicius benching as Real chase perfect La Liga start

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso doubled down on his decision to leave Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr out of his starting line-up, insisting every player must fight for their place despite the FIFA world player of the year’s heroics off the bench.

The move paid off last Sunday as Vinicius came on as a substitute to help Real win 3-0 at Oviedo, providing an assist for Mbappe’s second goal before netting himself.

Real sit joint-top of LaLiga with four other teams after winning both of their opening matches, setting up Saturday’s clash with struggling Mallorca, who are 16th with one point from two games.

When asked about the impact of benching such a high-profile player, Alonso remained unfazed.

“In the dressing room, the key thing is that everyone is willing to contribute, whether on the pitch or off it,” he told a press conference on Friday. “Really believing in this is fundamental. And here, everyone does.”

The Real boss heaped praise on the Brazilian’s response. “I’m very happy with Vini. Against Oviedo, he showed that he can have a big impact coming off the bench. We’re just getting started... and he’s going to be crucial.”

Alonso also backed Rodrygo, who replaced Vinicius on the left wing for his first start since their Club World Cup clash against Al Hilal in June.

“He has performed at his best in different positions. He has played as a nine and even a 10. But I think the left wing is a very good position for him,” Alonso said.

However, the Spaniard did not disclose whether Rodrygo would start ahead of Vinicius again this weekend.

“It wouldn’t be very smart of me to tell you what I’m going to do, put him as a starter or in the left wing again,” he said with a laugh. “We’ll see tomorrow.”

Atletico already playing catch-up after poor start: Atletico Madrid overhauled their squad this summer in the hope of being able to compete with giants Barcelona and Real Madrid for the Spanish League title but have started La Liga with one point from a possible six.

Diego Simeone’s side visit Alaves on Saturday already playing catch-up to their rivals, after their worst start to a season since 2011 -- months before the Argentine coach took the helm.

With several new players and a shortened pre-season because of their Club World Cup participation, perhaps it is no great surprise that Atletico have got off to a slow start.

However, they cannot afford to let champions Barcelona and a re-energised Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso escape them. Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao, who finished in the top five last season, have also started the season with two wins apiece.

Atletico began the season with a surprise 2-1 defeat at Espanyol and then were held to a 1-1 draw by promoted side Elche at home.

Simeone said he had expected the team to stutter at the start of the campaign but believes they will improve.

“I’m left with the belief that the team is still looking for its best chance to compete, and we’ll find it as we go along,” explained the coach.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to do very, very, very well at the start. We have things to do.”

Simeone said his team had already shown signs of improvement between the two matches.

“From the Espanyol game to today, there was growth -- we played better,” explained the Argentinian.

“The result isn’t there, but we need to work and to be patient.”

Antoine Griezmann, for so long the team’s talisman, did not start either of the first two matches and now at 34 appears to be an option from the bench for Simeone.

The French forward was in poor form for much of the second half of last season as Atletico’s challenges for silverware collapsed, leaving the Rojiblancos planning a rebuild.

A thigh injury for Alex Baena, arguably their most exciting summer signing, has not helped matters, and none of the new arrivals, including Thiago Almada and Matteo Ruggeri have hit the ground running.

Atletico face an Alaves side with one win and one defeat from their opening matches.

Should they fail to win, Real Madrid and Barcelona can move further ahead when they host Mallorca and visit Rayo Vallecano, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday.

Agence France-Presse

Spanish League fixtures

Saturday: Alaves vs Atletico Madrid (1500), Real Oviedo vs Real Sociedad (1700), Girona vs Sevilla (1730), Real Madrid vs Mallorca (1930)

Sunday: Celta Vigo vs Villarreal (1500), Real Betis vs Athletic Bilbao (1700), Espanyol vs Osasuna (1730), Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona (1930)