Putting out the Bernabéu fire: Vinícius between the wrath of the stands and Mourinho's protection

Amid the charged atmosphere surrounding Vinicius, Jose Mourinho has been decisive. The Portuguese coach does not see the player as having lost his place within the team. Instead, he believes what Vinicius is going through can be overcome by continuing to play, gaining confidence, and recovering the physical and technical condition that made him one of the most dangerous players in the world.

Mourinho particularly appreciates the transformation in Vinicius since the start of the season, even if his attacking output has not yet reached the level expected of him. The Brazilian has become more committed to defensive work and contributes more to helping his teammates. He puts in a collective effort that was not present in the same way over the past two seasons.

This is precisely what makes Mourinho keen to keep faith in him. The Portuguese coach does not want to treat Vinicius as a player who must be punished whenever his attacking level dips. He sees that the best way to return him to the peak of his form is to give him playing minutes and enough space to regain his confidence.

The plan, then, is clear. Vinicius will start against Rayo Vallecano. Mourinho does not want to get drawn into a game of calculations, nor does he wish to hand his critics an early victory by dropping the player from the starting line-up. For him, Vinicius remains one of the most important keys to the project, and he will get a new chance on the pitch to prove it.

The irony is that the jeers came in the very match in which Vinicius showed a completely different side to the player criticised for his attacking output.

Yes, the Brazilian was not at his best in front of goal, and the magical touches Real Madrid fans have grown used to never arrived. But he threw himself into the collective side of the game and put in a notable defensive shift.

Nine ball recoveries told the story of his graft. A section of the Bernabeu crowd saw it differently, though, and jeered him more than once.

Spanish newspaper AS report that some supporters went further, targeting Vinicius from the first whistle despite the importance of the fixture and the quality of the opponent.

Something bigger than a dip in form was at play here. Vinicius is no ordinary Real Madrid player. He has been one of the team's brightest stars over recent years, and the way part of the crowd treats him has become a genuine source of concern inside the club.

The crisis didn't stay confined to the stands. After the Inter game, the unhappiness over Vinicius's treatment reached the dressing room, where several players felt their teammate was being unfairly pressured.

One of the heavyweights inside the dressing room approached Mourinho after the match, voicing his concern over the Brazilian's situation. In his view, what Vinicius is enduring doesn't square with everything he has given the club over the past years.

The message that reached the coach was clear. Vinicius must be helped to regain his happiness and self-confidence.

That moment says everything about the player's standing within the group. It also reveals that the issue is no longer just about numbers, goals and decisive passes. It has become about his psychological state and how supported he feels at the club.

Mourinho, according to the information, shares that view. The coach believes Vinicius first needs to feel he's still a key part of Real Madrid's project, and that his standing in the team isn't up for debate because of one rough patch.

Simple but loaded with risk, the plan Mourinho has drawn up amounts to this: play, then play, then play more. The Portuguese believes Vinicius will rediscover his best form the moment he racks up minutes and gets his rhythm back.

There's a logical reason behind that belief. At his best, Vinicius can change a match with a single moment. His strength in one-on-one duels, his pace, his knack for bursting into space and forcing defenders to retreat all make his presence a constant threat to any opponent.

Dropping him because of a temporary dip in attacking output could backfire, then. Mourinho wants to return the player to a zone of confidence, not push him into further doubt. Hence the importance of the game against Rayo Vallecano.

Mourinho's decision does not stop at fielding Vinicius alone. He continues to rely on the attacking partnership between him and Kylian Mbappe. The duo will lead Real Madrid's attack against Rayo, a clear message that the coach sees no problem in Vinicius playing alongside the French star.

Real Madrid also regain some of the elements missing from the clash with Inter, chief among them Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva after their suspensions ended. Aurelien Tchouameni and Thiago Pitarch return to fitness too.

Those options hand Mourinho greater room to manoeuvre, but they also mean Vinicius will not be required to carry the team on his own. All that is asked of him is to recover his influence.

If Mourinho's stance is clear, Real Madrid's management sends the same message. The club does not view extending Vinicius's contract until 2032 as a passing decision or a favour to the player. They consider it an explicit declaration of confidence in his abilities and his future.

He is 26. He still has many years ahead of him at the highest levels of football, and Real Madrid's management know well the value Vinicius can represent when he is at his best.

That is why the club do not want a period of decline or a few jeers to turn into a bigger crisis. The message reaching the player from the top of the hierarchy is clear: you are an essential part of the future.

Now the ball moves into the court of Real Madrid's supporters. The clash with Rayo Vallecano won't be just another fixture on the league schedule. It will be a genuine test of how the stands react to Vinicius.

Will the jeers continue? Can the fans give him a chance to rediscover his form? Or will one goal, a successful dribble or a decisive pass be enough to shift the mood?

The pitch will answer all of it, and for Mourinho the solution is simple: Vinicius must play.

The Portuguese coach doesn't want to run from the crisis. He wants to confront it. He wants the player to respond out on the grass, the fans to see what he offers once his confidence returns, and the entire team to carry him through this spell.

This may be one of the most sensitive periods in Vinicius's career with Real Madrid.

Over the past few years he has transformed from a young, heavily criticised talent into a decisive and influential star. Now he finds himself forced to fight a new battle, but this time it is not only against defenders. It is against doubts, pressures, and the expectations of fans who have grown accustomed to the impossible from him.

Every essential element he needs to return is still there. "The coach trusts him, the club supports him, the dressing room stands beside him, and the fans, even if part of them are angry at the moment, know very well what Vinicius can offer when he is at his full focus and confidence."

That is why the real battle begins now. Mourinho has chosen a clear path: no exclusion, no retreat, no yielding to pressure. Vinicius will be on the pitch, and there will be ten other players beside him.

His task, then, is to reshape the relationship with the Bernabeu himself. He must turn the whistles of disapproval into applause, doubts into confidence, and pressure into fuel for a fresh return.

The Portuguese coach does not merely want to protect Vinicius from the anger. He wants to bring back the player who, until recently, was one of the world's most troublesome for opponents' defences.

Against Rayo Vallecano, the new attempt begins. "Vinicius and 10 others: it is Mourinho's clear message: the Brazilian star is still at the heart of Real Madrid's project."