Vinicius Jr needs to regain his form before the match against Paraguay

The moment Vinicius Jr was substituted in the match against Costa Rica, the TV cameras turned to Neymar. The 32-year-old star's expression showed that he could not believe his eyes when Dorival Junior made such a decision. The Real Madrid striker could not launch a single shot during the 71 minutes on the field.

In the press conference, captain Dorival Junior said that the coaching staff had to find a solution and had tried a few changes. However, if he had been a little tougher, the 62-year-old strategist would have made a solid argument to defend his point of view.

At Real Madrid, Vinicius is a match-winner. However, the Brazilian version of Vini has not achieved the same form. The Los Blancos star has scored just three goals in 31 appearances, including 21 starts for the Selecao. He has not scored since a 4-1 friendly win over Guinea 12 months ago. In addition, Vinicius' last goal in an official match was against South Korea at the 2022 World Cup.

Vinicius averages a goal every 595 minutes for Brazil. While he is not a striker, that hasn’t stopped him scoring consistently for Madrid (averaging a goal every 176 minutes) over the past three seasons. It’s a stark contrast.

Vinicius Jr. turns 24 next month and can still improve. His career with Brazil coincides with the end of Neymar's. Even players as talented and energetic as Vinicius accept being a supporting player.

Tactically, playing for Brazil can be a challenge for Vinicius. The striker born in 2000 likes to have space to accelerate, but South American teams often play deep defense when facing the "Samba dancers", so he rarely has the opportunity to race at speed. Costa Rica prepared a scientific defense and completely blocked Brazil's attacks. Captain Dorival even admitted that his team had very little space to attack. In particular, Vinicius was always marked by 2 or 3 people.

Over the years, the Santiago Bernabeu team has always had sharp attackers in the center. Previously it was Karim Benzema and now Jude Bellingham, soon it will be Kylian Mbappe. All three have the ability to attract the attention of defenders, which allows the Vinicius - Rodrygo pair to create a breakthrough.

Brazil don't have Benzema or Bellingham so Dorival needs to make bolder choices like Endrick or Evanilson starting as a center forward to absorb people for Vinicius.

The Real Madrid star has been a pillar of confidence for the Brazilian public in difficult times, and his form at club level will not shield him from criticism if he cannot translate that into international football.

Dorival's decision to replace Vinicius was not what Selecao fans wanted, but at least it sent a message: Brazil needs Vinicius Jr. to step up and lead the team at Copa America 2024.