Former Real Madrid goalkeeper urges Mourinho to play Vinicius as a No. 9: ‘Difficult problem to solve’

Former Real Madrid goalkeeper urges Mourinho to play Vinicius as a No. 9: ‘Difficult problem to solve’ Real Madrid will be heading into the second international break of the season feeling good about themselves, having strung together eight wins in a row in all competitions. The team has done exceptionally well, ironically without Vinicius Jr., who had to serve a four-match domestic suspension during this period. Vinicius will be available at the disposal of Jose Mourinho for La Liga matches when the season resumes later this month. But there are question marks over how exactly will Vinicius, who is aware that he has lost his place in the starting eleven, will be integrated into Mourinho’s first-team plans. Santi Canizares’ advice to Mourinho Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Santiago Canizares has a grand solution to that problem: Playing Vinicius as a No. 9. Can Vinicius thrive as a number nine? (Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images) Indeed, in a recent interaction with COPE (h/t Mundo Deportivo ), the former goalkeeper has urged Mourinho to start playing Vinicius as the main forward. “Vinicius is a player who obviously won’t go unnoticed; he won’t be sidelined,” he said. “For me, the solution is for him to play as a number 9, to play in place of Mbappe.” “He’s the only possible replacement they have. With both of them on the field, the team can still win games, but it won’t have the same identity, the same balance, and the same good vibes,” he added. A viable solution for Real Madrid? While Canizares admitted the move will be risky, it is not impossible to see Real Madrid succeed. Vinicius operating centrally can free up Mbappe even more. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) “This is a difficult problem to solve. If he can get Vinicius running and integrate him into the team dynamic, that’s truly remarkable,” he concluded. Real Madrid can take some amount of inspiration from the fact that Barcelona have thrived without a recognised number nine this season, with Raphinha scoring goals for fun. If Vinicius can offer the same outfit in the final third, it could only make Real Madrid much more of a threat going forward. Not to mention, it would free up Kylian Mbappe much more, with the Frenchman already expected to operate in his preferred left-wing role for France during the international break this month.