Real Madrid fans back Yan Diomande to replace Vinicius Junior

Yan Diomande made a strong case for a bigger role at Real Madrid after an impressive cameo in the Madrid derby, while a poll shows overwhelming support for him replacing Vinicius Junior.

The Ivorian needed only 36 minutes to provide one of the few positive aspects of Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat by Atletico de Madrid at the Metropolitano on Sunday in La Liga.

Diomande came on with Real Madrid down to 10 men and Atletico already ahead, with the match appearing almost beyond the visitors’ reach. Rather than hide, however, he took control of the left side and accepted responsibility.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Diomande finished the match as one of Mourinho’s most active players in the second half.

His performance has added to growing questions over Vinicius’ form, while the Ivorian also appears to have the support of Real Madrid’s supporters.

Asked, “Do you think Diomande should start, and at whose expense?”, 86% of respondents to a Marca poll said he should replace Vinicius. The survey received more than 50,000 votes.

A further 7% backed Diomande starting instead of another player, naming Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham or Arda Guler, while the remaining 7% felt he should not be included in the starting XI.

Overall, 93% of those who took part supported Diomande starting.

Diomande’s derby numbers

The statistics from the derby also favoured the Ivorian in several key areas.

Vinicius completed eight of his 11 passes, giving him an overall accuracy rate of 73%. His accuracy was 78% in the opposition half and 50% in Real Madrid’s own half.

Diomande completed nine of 10 passes for a 90% success rate. He recorded 89% accuracy in the opposition half and 100% in his own half.

Despite entering the game when Real Madrid were a player short, Diomande also saw more of the ball. He made 31 touches, compared with 22 for Vinicius.

The Ivorian was more effective in one-on-one situations, completing four of six dribbles. Vinicius managed to get past an opponent only once.

Diomande was also fouled five times, while Vinicius was fouled once.

The only category in which Vinicius came out on top was distance carried with the ball. He covered 93 metres, compared with 72 metres for Diomande, although the difference was also influenced by the length of time each player spent on the pitch.