Los Blancos Strong however Vinicius Junior Strains Grow – Important El Clasico Takeaways
The match represented practically a perfect day for the Madrid side, who defeated Barcelona 2-1 in El Clasico to increase the gap in first place in the Spanish league by five points.
Jude Bellingham notched his maiden goal in the league and key pass this term following a tough few months coming back from surgery on his shoulder.
Kylian Mbappe continued his clinical form in front of goal, and the manager's strategy in his inaugural derby in the dugout functioned brilliantly.
However the Brazilian's situation came to the forefront another time.
Unhappy at his substitution, Vinicius protested on his way directly past the coach and stormed to the dressing room, then returning to the substitute area several minutes.
Tactical Setup Delivers Success from Jude Bellingham
In his first derby, this wasn't a bad one, given that seven of Madrid's recent bosses were defeated in their debut league match against their rivals.
Following the player-focused approach under Ancelotti did not deliver in the previous campaign, the new tactical system delivered its first major result.
An expert noted, “He got it spot on. Real Madrid were impressive, while the visitors didn't play well due to the home team's approach.”
Defensively, they pushed up consistently, and when bypassed, they tracked back with discipline, all players even Vinicius.”
“They defended in two layers spaced by 5-10 meters. Barca struggled to penetrate.”
The tactical change seems beneficial for Jude, as he last season was essentially asked to do everything in midfield and additional duties.
In the lineup the 22-year-old was positioned on the right, but in practice he had the freedom to drift inward and link with Mbappe or enter the box.
The expert stated, “By using Eduardo Camavinga in the center, you get increased movement and more ways to shut down the channels.”
As a result them to position Jude on the right flank. Undoubtedly he would have been asked to track Mbappe's movements when he had the ball and found openings, and he found him repeatedly.”
“He was asked to get into the box and be around the outskirts of the area, his most effective zone. He also came inside to block central spaces and cause Barca's task tough.”
Strained Relations Revealed
There's no doubting that Madridistas are fond of the Brazilian, calls for him rang out multiple times by an enthusiastic Bernabeu crowd.
Yet recently there were numerous stories over the past period that Real Madrid might think about letting him leave should a suitable bid arrived.
The winger has one season to go under his current terms when this term concludes, but negotiations for an extension are at a standstill.
His response to being replaced in the second half spoke of tension. When the match ended, he was held back when he moved toward the Barcelona player.
Balague noted, Many will criticize him for good reason, as it demonstrated poor sportsmanship toward his replacement taking his place.”
Yet, growing up, he has lived in a challenging environment, and perceives that he faces opposition.”
Such thinking is hard to change, notably when you feel close to being number one in the world, then the club shifts the focus to Mbappe as the star.”
During this campaign he's felt that the club isn't protecting him. Reports suggest, potentially club-sourced, or unchallenged by officials, that they might accept if someone paid a quarter-billion euros to sign him and sell him.”
This affects him, so when the coach substituted him – fairly, as he ceased tracking back as he should – to him he says why single me out?’.”
“It will be difficult to mend relations among the parties and him at the moment.”
Their System “Falls Apart”
After winning all four of last season's Clasicos, this outing was emblematic of Barcelona's unconvincing beginning of the season.
Absences have robbed the Barcelona coach of important stars such as Raphinha, Lewandowski plus others, and the approach is not effective when they are missing.
The analyst stated, “It's like the whole team are slightly off without the ball, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive in pressing.”
They are more vulnerable to attack them. Should the defense is flawed, which was the case Mbappe's strike as Balde kept him onside, they receive little support by teammates not closing down those on the ball adequately.”
Yamal, the main threat of Real last season, was well contained.
Key players did not perform well. Lamine doesn't feel like in top condition, possibly because of a groin issue