Real Madrid wins a derby without football that leaves Vinicius singled out
‘Florentino is going to kick you out.’ That was the phrase that will go down in history in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. Simeone said it to Vinicius several times, without mincing his words. It was a way of provoking him, of taking him out of the game and, almost, of predicting what might happen to the Brazilian next summer.
Simeone's dirty trick is just one more from a man who has never stopped being a player. The same man who asked Courtois not to celebrate Madrid's goals at the Metropolitano, provoked Vinicius and then claimed in the press room that he couldn't remember his words because of his poor memory. An indecent man to whom Vinicius dedicated a ‘Another tie you lose’ on social media, adding another chapter to this unhealthy relationship.
Simeone's message rings true if we analyse the Brazilian's performance. Lying on the wing and repeatedly attempting impossible dribbles that ended in lost balls, feigning fouls or blaming everyone else for his lack of accuracy. Vinicius has given up on the defensive role that Xabi Alonso demands of him, and although Real Madrid is a caricature of what their coach wants, Sorloth's goal showed Madrid fans that Vinicius is at war with his coach. His lack of intensity when running off the ball, his open arms and his reprimanding of his teammates add to the words he directed at Alonso about Gonzalo's play in the match against Betis.
A poor match between both teams
Before that goal, Real Madrid had scored two without playing at all. The first came 90 seconds into the match after a spectacular free kick by Valverde. It's true that the wall was a joke, but you had to hit it with that force and accuracy to get it into the Rojiblanca goal. The second goal came in the 55th minute after a mistake by Atlético Madrid. Valverde filtered a perfect pass to Rodrygo, who scored another goal and secured his return from the darkness he had been in since last May.
And that was it. The match was a footballing horror show with two teams playing at a snail's pace, eager for water breaks and with substitutes such as Güler and Mastantuono coming on tired in the 80th minute. Added to that were injuries to Asencio and Rüdiger in the same minute, forcing Xabi Alonso to come up with a crazy defence led by Tchouameni, who spent 20 minutes clearing balls.
Atlético lost due to their usual losing streak in these sudden-death matches. They had plenty of chances to equalise and even win, but between Courtois' saves and the mistakes of the ineffective Julián Álvarez, they return to Spain without trophies and with a few million euros, which, after all, is what these trophies are played for.
Real Madrid in a bad situation
Real Madrid are living in a football desert that has not been seen for years. Alonso has buried his playbook and put himself in the hands of his players, who do not know how to play. The dressing room dances to the tune of Vinicius's faces and Gonzalo's runs are reminiscent of Raúl, but there is no one to back up their work. For Sunday's final, Mbappé arrives on a direct flight from Madrid to avoid disaster against Barcelona. Flick's men thrashed Athletic 5-0 and everything points to them being able to hurt Real Madrid unless Alonso locks the team in at the back and goes for counter-attacks with Rodrygo, Vinicius and Mbappé.
The derby of horrors went to Madrid, but the undercurrent left by the match will not be calmed even by winning the final against Barcelona. A dressing room broken into a thousand pieces is exposed to the possibility that a bad result at a bad time will prove the squad right and end with the coach being sacked.