Ancelotti's 'Good Punishment' for Vini after Two Suspensions in LaLiga and Champions

One of the most clear absences for Real Madrid in the upcoming game is Vinícius Jr. After serving his two-game suspension in LaLiga, against Las Palmas and Real Valladolid, he will be back for the game against Espanyol. Meanwhile, he'll miss the last group stage game of the Champions League, against Stade Brestois. Due to the yellow card received against RB Salzburg for simulating a penalty.

Although his competitive appearances have been significantly reduced in the last two weeks, Vinícius is not on vacation. The Real Madrid coaching staff has taken advantage of this forced 'break' in which the Brazilian forward finds himself to continue working on one of his best aspects: his physical condition.

There is no doubt that Vinícius is one of the team's leaders in practically every aspect. He's also one of Ancelotti's most robust pupils alongside Rüdiger, Valverde, or Bellingham: all of them form the core of the Italian's starting eleven.

In addition to strictly following the training pace of his teammates, since Ancelotti counts on him for the remainder of the season, Vinícius must follow a specific plan. In charge of designing and implementing this improvement is Madrid's head of physical preparation: Antonio Pintus has become a very close collaborator to Vinícius lately.

Elite recovery

The information published by "OKDiario", outlining this plan devised by the Reggiolo coach, has a clear objective. Vinícius is a key player for this season and must "polish some aspects of his physique that'll help him be in great shape during the most decisive phase".

Especially because the Champions League knockout stages are approaching. Real Madrid, barring a miracle midweek, will have to play the round of 32 to reach the round of 16. The race for LaLiga is also intensifying: neither Atlético de Madrid nor FC Barcelona want the white club to 'escape' in the domestic league leadership.

For now, Carlo Ancelotti's pupils, as well as the coaching staff managed by the transalpine strategist, have managed to succeed in their recent matches without the '7' as a reference. But that situation is not a top-level that Real Madrid can afford regularly, so Vinícius is the focus of intense work at the Sports City.

The goal is for him to be back for the match against Espanyol, ready to leave behind his competitive irregularities this season. Focusing definitively on football, avoiding new sanctions, has also been one of the aspects that Carlo Ancelotti has worked on with one of his top stars these days.