The serious stuff starts for Solari
INTERIM COACH: REAL VALLADOLID HIS FIRST REAL TEST
Young striker Vinicius Junior given his debut in Cup.
Madrid
Santiago Solari came through the dress-rehearsal with flying colours but now for the real thing. Real Madrid’s stroll past Melilla from Spain’s third tier in the Copa del Rey was a particularly kind opening assignment, the type of which Julen Loptegegui must have longed for during his miserable run of one win from seven matches.
Solari, put in temporary charge, said the right things in his opening press conference on Tuesday, largely by saying very little at all, and then a day later did the right thing by overseeing an expected, but still emphatic, 4-0 victory. So far, so good.
Already Solari is being discussed as a realistic option for longer than the 15 days that regulations allow a provisional coach to work.
With every success, and without a clear alternative, his status will be enhanced.
The next step is to transmit early enthusiasm into something more substantial, namely wins at home to Real Valladolid, now owned by Solari’s former Brazilian team-mate Ronaldo, and away to Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League next week.
Then comes a trip to Celta Vigo before time is up. Four wins out of four and club president Florentino Perez might well view his problem solved, at least until the end of the season.
“The commitment of the players is not down to me, even though I’m here now,” Solari said on Wednesday. “The commitment is to this shirt, to Madrid and to themselves.”
But first, Valladolid, unbeaten in seven and boasting five wins from their last six, should offer a deceptively tricky test.
Their defence is one of the meanest in La Liga and more than capable of restricting a Madrid team bereft of attacking inspiration in recent weeks.
To that end, Solari’s deepest imprint from three full days in charge has been a show of faith in Vinicius Junior, the 18-yearold striker signed for €45 million from Flamengo in the summer.
Solari handed him his first start, and 90 minutes, against Melilla. He was excellent, only lacking the goal his all-round performance deserved.
The question now is whether Vinicius is ready for a prolonged stint in the side and if so, at whose expense.
Karim Benzema has lost the scoring habit but is a grafter and well-respected in the dressingroom. Gareth Bale is only three months into his own fresh start after Zinedine Zidane. –