José Mourinho said he takes a mostly gentle approach with Vinicius, while allowing room for discipline. “With him, so far, I use 80% soft touch and 20% hard touch,” the Real Madrid coach said with a smile after his team’s victory over AEK in Athens.
Vinicius started the match and remained on the field until the 82nd minute. Mourinho described his display as “acceptable”, adding that neither the player nor the team had produced an outstanding performance. The Brazilian had three shots, none on target, and one unsuccessful attempt to dribble past an opponent.
Real Madrid secured the win with a late goal from Fede Valverde in the 92nd minute. Valverde had begun the match on the bench and finished in midfield, although Mourinho said he currently prefers the Uruguayan at right-back. The result was the team’s fifth victory decided in the closing minutes, according to the coach.
Mourinho also said AEK’s performance had prevented Madrid from producing a perfect match, but praised his side’s reaction and composure after falling behind. With 12 points, he said the team had secured a place in the playoff and estimated that six or seven more points would be needed to finish among the top eight.
Sources: El País Deportes.