Want to learn more timely sports news and live broadcasts & prevent losing our links? Welcome click here to join our Telegram channel
Journalist Manuel Jabois appeared on Cadena SER radio program and discussed the cooperation issues between Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior.
"It seems they get along well with no signs to the contrary. In fact, their public statements and affectionate gestures are quite explicit. But as world-class stars, I believe they must know how to play with each other. I wrote about this issue two weeks ago. I really can't understand how two superstars ranked among the world's top five or top ten cannot coexist. Possessing this level of star quality also means knowing how to play alongside other superstars, doesn't it?
However, there are indeed some problems here. It's not just about overlapping positions—though both do tend to occupy the same hot areas in attack—but two seasons have passed, and their on-ball chemistry is clearly lacking. There's no eye contact, no anticipation of a teammate's next move, which are precisely the crucial core elements.
When one receives the ball, what should the other do? When a teammate has the ball, where should I cut in from? Where to break through the defense? Which empty space should I run into to receive the pass? None of these exist. This largely reflects the shortcomings of both players. Individually, they are excellent players, but if you can't integrate with a player as good as you, that's a big problem.
This drives me crazy because I'm a huge fan of both players. I love seeing either of them with the ball because from their dribbling style, you can sense something wonderful is about to happen. Yet when these two get close to each other, I can't help but think—pass to anyone but don't pass between them, because they'll definitely mess it up and the situation will get quite tricky. This is a problem Real Madrid faces, and I can't find many reasonable explanations for it. It also involves emotional intelligence, doesn't it?
I mean, they play together in training. Haven't you practiced any combinations in two years of training? Don't you know what to do when a teammate runs into an empty space, or how your teammate will move when you receive the ball?
In matches, we've seen their cooperation doesn't work well. But in training, under the guidance of coaches like Carlo Ancelotti, Álvaro Arbeloa, and Xabi Alonso, haven't they said—we need to practice combinations for use in matches? Both of you can dribble past opponents, have speed, and the ability to break through defenses through combinations. So why can't you make your cooperation work? This is very frustrating for fans.
I don't want either of them to sit on the bench. I want both on the field. I understand fans' feelings, but the fact is, the two just don't click and can't smoothly integrate. If they could cooperate tacitly, it would be enough to make any defender panic."
