A former Barcelona midfielder has publicly argued that Real Madrid are a stronger side when Vinicius Junior does not start.
Gerard Lopez made the point on Spanish broadcaster Movistar Plus Deportes on Monday, a day after Real Madrid left Camp Nou with a 2-1 win while Vinicius sat out the second match of a four-game ban.
“Real Madrid is better following the loss of Vinicius. The team is much more balanced. Without Vinicius this team runs more and runs better,” Lopez told Movistar Plus Deportes.
Replacing Vinicius on the left was Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old Ivorian signed from RB Leipzig in August for a reported club-record fee. His pace down the flank set up Kylian Mbappe’s opener before half-time, and the France striker added a late winner in the 87th minute, with Raphinha’s goal just after the hour mark not enough to spare Barcelona their first domestic defeat of the season.
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Lopez picked out Diomande as the best player on the Madrid side.
Pre-match caveat Mourinho ignored
Lopez’s view had been building for days. In an interview with Defensa Central three days before the match, he had said Diomande was coming into his own in Vinicius’s absence and that it suited Madrid for the Brazilian to miss El Clasico.
The same interview carried a warning for Mourinho. If the Portuguese paired Tchouameni and Camavinga in midfield, Lopez told Defensa Central, Barcelona would still be the stronger team. Camavinga started on the bench, came on in the second half and helped set up Mbappe’s winner, with Jude Bellingham supplying the final pass.
Vinicius ban runs until Celta Vigo
Vinicius has been serving a four-match domestic ban handed down on 14 October by Spain’s football federation disciplinary committee, four days after his red card against Villarreal. He was dismissed for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair in the build-up to a goal VAR then overturned, with the committee adding two matches for violent conduct and two for dissent.
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The Brazilian remains eligible for the Champions League but will not play again in La Liga until Real Madrid travel to Celta Vigo after the November international break.
