Wim Kieft was extremely annoyed last Tuesday by the behavior of Vinícius Júnior, he writes in his column in The Telegraph. The Real Madrid winger claimed a leading role in the round of 16 against Liverpool (2-5) with two goals and an assist. Partly because of this, the return in Estadio Santiago Bernabéu seems to be a formality on March 15. Yet it was the peripheral matters that stuck with Kieft.
It was not the night of the keepers on Tuesday, Kieft also noticed. Both Thibaut Courtois and Alisson Becker went hopelessly wrong, resulting in a goal against. For the latter it became a blunder with a very sour aftertaste, as he faces an almost impossible task with Liverpool. “Good keepers who can’t play football”, concludes Kieft. “Courtois still took the ball, but had no feeling at all for the effect it had. The ball came through the leg of the Belgian at the feet of Mohamed Salah and it was 2-0.”
The second hit the Reds also immediately marked the end of the euphoria. Vinícius decided to take Real by the hand. His first goal was a class goal, with the second he took advantage of Alisson’s mistake. “Real Madrid played great and had no problem getting out of the pressure from Liverpool,” Kieft continued. “While the Madrilenians were being chased at an insane pace. Vinicius Jr. is an annoying little guy who likes to look for a free kick and often looks aggrieved, but he is so fast, strong on the ball and deadly effective.”
Finally, Kieft draws a comparison between the Netherlands and the absolute world top. “Cody Gakpo now knows what it’s like to play at the fastest pace,” says the columnist. “A number of times he took the ball well at Liverpool – Real Madrid, but just not perfectly. In the Netherlands it is possible, see Kudus. Only internationally you are seen right and Gakpo suffered a loss of the ball. The cheer stories that Kudus is ripe for the step to the European top must be taken with a grain of salt. He still plays football far too much from a standstill.”