Real Madrid Impressive however Vinicius Issues Escalate – Major El Clasico Takeaways
It was practically an ideal performance from Xabi Alonso's squad, who beat Barcelona by a 2-1 scoreline in the Clasico to increase their lead at the top in the Spanish league by five points.
Bellingham notched his first goal in the league and assist of the season following a tough period healing from surgery on his shoulder.
Mbappe showed his clinical touch in front of goal, and the coach's game plan in his inaugural El Clasico on the sidelines proved brilliantly.
However the issue surrounding Vinicius emerged again once more.
Dissatisfied with his substitution, the star forward protested on his way straight past Xabi Alonso and headed down the tunnel, before reappearing to the substitute area several minutes.
Tactical Setup Gets Success for Jude Bellingham
As first Clasicos go, it was a solid start, given that seven of Real's previous eight managers lost their first league encounter with Barcelona.
After the player-focused style under Ancelotti fell short last season, his structured approach produced its first major result.
Spanish football analyst commented, The strategy worked brilliantly. Madrid were very good, and Barcelona struggled because of the home team's approach.”
“Without the ball, they pushed up for as long as they could, and if they were beaten, they tracked back in an organised way, all players including the forward.”
The team's shape with two banks spaced by 5-10 meters. Barcelona were unable to break through.”
The new system seems beneficial for Bellingham, as he previously was expected to do everything in the engine room and beyond.
Theoretically Bellingham was positioned on the right, however he was allowed to move centrally and assist the attack or enter the box.
The analyst continued, Employing Camavinga in the center, you get more dynamism and additional options to shut down the passing lanes.”
This led to them to deploy Jude wide right. Undoubtedly he would have been asked to monitor Mbappe's movements on the ball with room, and he located him repeatedly.”
His instructions included to get into the box and position himself near the outskirts of the area, his most effective zone. He also came inside to close the inside channels creating Barca's task tough.”
Strained Relations Revealed
Undoubtedly that the fans love Vinicius, his name were sung repeatedly by the passionate home supporters.
However there have been numerous stories over the past period that Los Blancos might think about letting him leave should a suitable bid were to come in.
The winger will have one season to go on his deal when this term concludes, yet talks over a new deal have not progressed.
Vinicius' behavior when substituted with 20 minutes left indicated strained relations. After the full-time whistle, teammates intervened as he tried to approach Lamine Yamal.
Balague noted, He will face backlash and justifiably, since it displayed poor sportsmanship for the substitute who came on for him.”
“But since being a kid, he has existed in a challenging environment, and he believes that the world is hostile.”
This mindset is difficult to shake, notably when you believe close to being number one in the world, and the organization redirects attention in favor of Mbappe as the star.”
During this campaign he believes that the club is not defending him. Reports suggest, possibly leaked by the club, or unchallenged by officials, that they might accept an offer worth 250m euros for his transfer and sell him.”
“He feels all that, and after he was taken off – justifiably, as he ceased tracking back as required – in his mind he says ‘why me, why me again?.”
It may be challenging to build a bridge among the parties and the player now.”
Barca's Approach “Crumbles”
Having triumphed in each of the recent Clasicos, this outing was emblematic of Barcelona's unconvincing start to the campaign.
Injuries have robbed the Barcelona coach of important stars including Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Olmo, and the tactical setup is not effective when they are missing.
The analyst said, “It's like the whole team is a little bit less sharp when not in possession, not as eager to regain possession, less aggressive to get the possession back.”
“It's easier to attack them. When the backline is flawed, like on the first goal because Alejandro Balde played him onside, they receive little support by the midfield and forwards failing to press the ball-carrier as expected.”
Yamal, tormentor-in-chief in previous meetings, was kept largely in check.
“Their stars were below par. The youngster doesn't feel like he's in good form, possibly because of injury issues