Real Madrid and their manager Zinedine Zidane have been dealing with a unique challenge this season: containing the explosive attacking talent of Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian forward has been a revelation since joining the Spanish giants in 2018, but his tendency to take risks and make mistakes has caused some concern. To address this issue, manager Diego Simeone of Atletico Madrid has come up with an innovative tactic to contain Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid’s response.
Atletico Madrid have employed a tactic known as “Araujo’s Tactics” to contain Vinicius Jr. This tactic involves two players, usually a central midfielder and a full-back, shadowing the Brazilian forward whenever he receives the ball. The two players are instructed to stay close to him and prevent him from turning and running at defenders. This tactic has been effective in limiting Vinicius Jr.’s impact on the game and has been used by other teams in La Liga as well.
Real Madrid have responded to this tactic by making tactical adjustments of their own. They have instructed their full-backs to provide more width when Vinicius Jr. is on the ball, allowing him more space to run into and create chances. They have also given their midfielders more freedom to move forward and support the attack when Vinicius Jr. is in possession. These tactical adjustments have allowed Real Madrid to create more chances and have been effective in containing the Brazilian forward.
The battle between Diego Simeone’s Araujo’s Tactics and Real Madrid’s tactical adjustments has been an interesting one to watch this season. It has provided an insight into how teams can adapt to contain a player of Vinicius Jr.’s talent and how managers can use tactics to get the best out of their players. It will be interesting to see how this battle develops in the coming weeks and months as both teams look to gain an advantage over one another.
