Former player Philipp Lahm, one of the members of the German national team that won the World Cup in 2014, praised Real Madrid forward Vini
Former German full-back Philipp Lahm spoke about Vini Jr. of Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team in an interview with The Athletic. Lahm praised Vini’s game and highlighted the difficulty the Brazilian creates for the opposing team’s marking. “Vini Jr. impresses me a lot. Mainly because of his ability to do things at high speed and to start attacking plays while still in his own defensive half.
This makes him incredibly difficult to mark from a full-back’s point of view. Perhaps what is less appreciated is how physically prepared he is and how he can maintain his acceleration: he can run 70 meters without losing speed — and still finish brilliantly at the end of one of those runs,” said Lahm.
The German also compared Vinicius to wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry, both former teammates of Philipp Lahm at Bayern Munich. He highlighted the danger of the Brazilian driving the ball towards the box, saying that it is necessary to push him away towards the flanks.
“His dribbling and his changes of direction remind me of Robben and Ribéry. However, he tends to be less dedicated defensively, which opens up opportunities to attack him in transition moments. Defending him with the ball at his feet is more difficult. I don’t think Vini Jr can be completely neutralised, but it is crucial not to give him space to cut inside. You need to deny him the angles and spaces that allow him to drive towards the box. You need to push him out, always towards the touchline”, he concluded.
