"Sell him!" - Pundit slams Real Madrid superstar for playing like he's 'still on vacation' during draw vs Al-Hilal in Club World Cup

Spanish pundit Josep Pedrerol slammed Vinicius Junior and called for his sale after Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal on Wednesday, June 18. Pedrerol also claimed that Vinicius's performance in Madrid's opening game of the FIFA Club World Cup seemed like he was still on vacation.

In a discussion on El Chiringuito in the aftermath of the stalemate, Pedrerol said (via Real Madrid Confidencial):

"The criticism is that Vinicius is still on vacation. Here, what people expect is that, they're not asking Xabi Alonso to be better on the first day, they're asking for discipline. To put whoever needs it in their place. We need to start putting in their place the players who are permanently on vacation..."

He added:

"The transfer window is open... even if you're very good, at Madrid, Vinicius or whoever, transfer window, August 30 (30 de agosto), sell him!"

During the encounter versus Al-Hilal, Vinicius struggled to influence proceedings in the absence of Kylian Mbappe. The Brazilian also found it difficult to get past Al Hilal's Joao Cancelo and failed to register a shot on target. This ultimately led to his substitution for Victor Munoz in the 80th minute.

"It's not frustration, we know it's going to take us some time" - Xabi Alonso on Real Madrid's draw against Al-Hilal

Xabi Alonso claimed that Los Blancos' stalemate against Al-Hilal wasn't frustrating to him. The Spaniard also revealed that it would take time for the players to adjust to his style of play.

In a press conference after Madrid's draw versus the Saudi Pro League side, Alonso revealed (via Real Madrid Confidencial):

"It's not frustration, we know it's going to take us some time. However, in the second half I, saw a reaction. Things we've talked about, we were able to do better."

Alonso added:

"Everything takes time and repetition for it to sink in a bit more. We've been here for 9 days (9 días) with barely three training sessions and this is a process. Obviously, we're under pressure for results because we're in a competition, but what we also want is to learn and know what we want to become."

In the opening half against Al-Hilal, Madrid seemingly struggled to stick to Alonso's instructions. However, the players adjusted in the second half but failed to force a win.

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava