Los Blancos Strong but Vinicius Strains Escalate – Important Clasico Talking Points
This proved to be almost an ideal performance for Real Madrid, as they beat their arch-rivals by a 2-1 scoreline in the Clasico and stretch the gap at the summit of La Liga with a five-point cushion.
Bellingham notched his first domestic strike along with setup this term after a difficult spell coming back from a shoulder operation.
Mbappe continued his lethal touch in front of goal, and Alonso's tactics during his debut El Clasico as coach worked like a charm.
But then the issue surrounding Vinicius emerged again another time.
Frustrated with being substituted, the Brazilian winger protested as he walked right by the coach and marched off the pitch, before returning on the sidelines several minutes.
Tactical Setup Yields Success for Jude Bellingham
As first Clasicos go, Alonso did well, given that seven of Real's previous eight coaches were defeated in their initial league meeting with Barcelona.
Following the relaxed style of Carlo Ancelotti failed to get results earlier, the new tactical system yielded an important victory.
An expert commented, The strategy worked brilliantly. Madrid performed excellently, and the visitors were off-color because of Madrid's tactics.”
Defensively, they pushed up consistently, and if they were beaten, they fell back in a structured manner, everybody even the forward.”
“They defended in two lines separated by 5-10 meters. The opposition could not find a way through.”
This approach appears to be positive for Bellingham, who in the past was essentially asked to cover multiple roles in the engine room and additional duties.
In the lineup the young star played on the right, but actually he could to come inside and either support Mbappe or get into scoring positions.
The expert continued, “By using the French midfielder in central midfield, you get more dynamism and additional options to shut down the passing lanes.”
This led to them to deploy Bellingham on the right flank. I'm sure he was instructed to keep an eye on the runs of Mbappe when he had the ball and found openings, connecting with him a few times.”
His instructions included to enter the area and be around the outskirts of the area, where he is very dangerous. He also came inside to block central spaces creating Barcelona's life tough.”
Strained Relations Revealed
Undoubtedly that the fans are fond of the Brazilian, his chant were sung on several occasions by a fervent Bernabeu crowd.
Yet recently there were countless reports lately that Real Madrid could entertain selling him if the right offer were to come in.
Vinicius will have one season to go on his contract come the end of the season, but talks over a new deal have not progressed.
His response after coming off late in the game suggested issues. When the match ended, he had to be restrained when he moved toward Lamine Yamal.
The analyst commented, He will face backlash and justifiably, since it displayed disrespect for Rodrygo taking his place.”
However, from a young age, he has lived in a challenging environment, and perceives that everyone is against him.”
Such thinking is difficult to shake, particularly since you feel on the verge of the best player, and the organization drives the axis in favor of Mbappe as the star.”
Recently he believes that the club isn't protecting him. Reports suggest, potentially club-sourced, or with the club not denying it, that they might accept if someone paid 250m euros for his transfer and allow him to leave.”
He is aware of this, so when Alonso subbed him – reasonably, as he ceased tracking back as expected – to him he questions ‘why me, why me again?.”
It may be challenging to mend relations among the parties and the player at the moment.”
Barcelona Style “Crumbles”
Following victories in all four of recent Clasicos, the latest display was emblematic of Barca's shaky start to the campaign.
Fitness issues have robbed the Barcelona coach of important stars such as the Brazilian winger, Robert Lewandowski and Olmo, and the tactical setup is failing in their absence.
The expert commented, “It's like the whole team are slightly off without the ball, with less desire to win it back, softer to reclaim the ball.”
They are more vulnerable to break them down. If the defensive line is not organized, as it wasn't the Mbappe goal since the defender played him onside, they are not helped by teammates not challenging those on the ball as expected.”
Lamine Yamal, who troubled Madrid in previous meetings, was well contained.
The big names did not perform well. Lamine doesn't feel like in top condition, possibly because of injury issues