🔗 Share this article

This proved to be almost a flawless outing for Xabi Alonso's squad, who overcame Barca two goals to one during the famous derby to stretch their lead in first place of La Liga by five points.

Jude Bellingham scored his first domestic strike along with key pass this campaign following a tough few months recovering from shoulder surgery.

Kylian Mbappe showed his lethal form when scoring, and the manager's strategy during his debut El Clasico on the sidelines worked perfectly.

But then the Vinicius Junior question emerged again once more.

Dissatisfied with coming off, Vinicius protested as he walked straight past the coach and headed to the dressing room, before returning on the sidelines later.

Tactical Setup Yields Success from Bellingham

As first Clasicos go, it was a solid start, given that seven of Madrid's recent managers lost their initial league encounter with Barcelona.

Following the laissez-faire approach from the previous coach failed to get results earlier, the new tactical system delivered an important victory.

Spanish football analyst noted, “He got it spot on. Real Madrid performed excellently, and the visitors didn't play well due to the home team's approach.”

When not in possession, they applied pressure for as long as they could, if overcome, they retreated with discipline, all players even the forward.”

Their defensive setup in two layers with a gap of 5-10 meters. The opposition struggled to penetrate.”

The new system seems positive for Bellingham, who last season had been tasked to do everything in the engine room and more.

In the lineup the young star played on the right, but in practice he could to drift inward and either support Mbappe or get into scoring positions.

The expert continued, “By using the French midfielder in the middle, you get greater energy and better ability to close down the spaces.”

This led to them to deploy Bellingham on the right-hand side. I'm sure his role included to track the forward's positioning on the ball and found openings, connecting with him repeatedly.”

“He was asked to enter the area and position himself near the outskirts of the area, his most effective zone. Additionally, he moved centrally to cut off passing options and make Barcelona's life tough.”

Conflict Issues Laid Bare

It's clear that Madridistas adore Vinicius, his name were sung on several occasions by the passionate Bernabeu crowd.

But there have been countless reports over the past period that the club might think about selling him should a suitable bid was made.

He will have a year left on his contract when this term concludes, yet negotiations for an extension are at a standstill.

Vinicius' behavior to being replaced with 20 minutes left suggested tension. After the full-time whistle, he had to be restrained when he moved toward Lamine Yamal.

Balague noted, He will face backlash for good reason, since it displayed disrespect for the substitute who replaced him.”

Yet, growing up, he has lived amid adversity, and perceives that he faces opposition.”

Such thinking is hard to change, notably when you feel near number one in the world, and the organization shifts the focus to Mbappe as the key figure.”

“This season he's felt that Real Madrid is not defending him. There are stories, perhaps from within, or with the club not denying it, that they would be open if someone paid a quarter-billion euros to sign him and sell him.”

He is aware of this, and after he was taken off – justifiably, since he wasn't defending as expected – to him he thinks ‘why me, why me again?.”

Building bridges will be tough to build a bridge among the parties and Vinicius now.”

Barca's Approach “Struggles”

After winning all four of recent matches, Sunday's performance highlighted Barca's shaky early form.

Absences have left without the manager of important stars such as the Brazilian winger, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, and the tactical setup isn't working without them.

The analyst stated, The squad seems is a little bit less sharp when not in possession, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive to get the possession back.”

They are more vulnerable to create chances against them. When the backline is not organized, like on the Mbappe goal since the defender failed to step up, they are not helped by teammates not closing down the ball-carrier as expected.”

The young talent, who troubled Madrid in previous meetings, was kept largely in check.

Key players did not perform well. Yamal seems not in top condition, possibly because of injury issues