Ex-Real Madrid director, Predrag Mijatovic, has noted that Vinicius Junior now plays with fear following the arrival of Kylian Mbappe at the club.
He is of the opinion that Mbappe’s arrival has affected the Brazilian’s performances.
This is following Los Blancos’ heavy defeat to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals first leg at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Arsenal scored thrice in the second half of the game thanks to free kick strikes from England midfielder Declan Rice. Mikel Merino made it three.
While Arsenal attackers were on top of their game on the night, not much came from Carlo Ancelotti’s front three.
Some would say that the least effective of the three was left-winger Vincius Junior.
Pedja believes that Vinicius’ performance was due to the presence of his French strike partner.
He told Cadena SER, “Since Mbappe arrived, Vinicius has shown a bit of fear – uncertainty about what to do now, especially in trying to convince the Madridistas who is better. They have not delivered as we expected.”
Vinicius has made 43 appearances across competitions for Los Blancos, bagging 19 goals and 14 assists.
Vinicius attempted three dribbles but failed to complete any.
Arsenal will travel to Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday where Vinicius Jr will be looking to turn things around.
