The sensation on the last whistle for the Blaugrana devoted was that of absolute dejection and disappointment after Barcelona were outclassed in every aspect of their 2-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu, writes Omar Hawwash, journalist and CEO of the Barça-focused information outlet Blaugranagram.
Within the final 4 head-to-head matches between the 2 La Liga giants, Barcelona have had Actual Madrid’s quantity, convincingly too, previous to Sunday’s matchup within the Spanish capital.
In hindsight, which will have been their undoing: the sense they might simply flip up, do the identical factor and anticipate the identical end result.
Soccer doesn’t work like that. Groups evolve, techniques change and a failure to adapt means you’re left trying in from the surface. Madrid have advanced underneath Xabi Alonso and on Sunday’s proof, Barca will probably be peering over the fence at a Bernabeu title occasion come Might.
Fortune favoured Barca
We are able to’t even say Barca have been unlucky.
And whereas a lot of the post-match hysterics from the Catalan media has predictably centered on the efficiency of referee Cesar Soto Grado and VAR Iglesias Villanueva, their affect under no circumstances affected the result.
Certainly, it may need been quite a bit worse.
Lamine Yamal did foul Vinicius Jr inside two minutes, though the officers didn’t imagine adequate contact was made to warrant a penalty. Madrid had three objectives chalked off – all rightly – whereas the penalty Madrid have been awarded was appropriate with solely the brilliance of Wojciech Szczesny denying the irrepressible Kylian Mbappe from the spot.
The very fact is Madrid performed with extra depth and function. Madrid broke the Barcelona midfield into items again and again earlier than penetrating the defence with alarming ease.
A brand new low for Flick’s Barcelona
Barcelona’s 4-1 defeat at Sevilla on October 5 was one thing we, at Blaugranagram, described as in all probability the worst efficiency in the course of the reign of Hansi Flick. El Clásico this Sunday beats that, and by a long way.
Towards Sevilla, the argument may very well be that Barcelona had come into the match complacent, given Sevilla’s current woes. Towards Actual Madrid, there is no such thing as a excuse to place up a efficiency as toothless and uninventive as this. All the crew was extraordinarily static, glad to move the ball in entrance of Madrid with out anybody prepared to make that killer run. Opposite to Actual Madrid’s assaults in transition, Barcelona very hardly ever had any runners in behind and, after they did, it was Jules Koundé whose first contact let him down, as he discovered himself by way of for the equaliser late on.
A midfield that on paper ought to have had the beating of its Madrid counterpart regarded fatigued, lacked creativity or any need to get ahead.
Time to give attention to youth
Flick has a lot of labor to do with this squad, and even in video games like this the place your important 11 consists of Ferran Torres, who traditionally is shaky when he performs from the off, the youth gamers must be utilised extra, giving them sufficient of a platform to be prepared for fixtures like this, when your important guard fails to carry out.
On this proof, Barca look a way from difficult for La Liga, by no means thoughts the Champions League. On the elite stage it comes all the way down to positive margins, significantly in each bins. With Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr – we’ll save his antics for one more day – Madrid have extra tempo and athleticism than Barca whereas the likes of Eder Militao and Dean Huijsen have extra know-how on the massive stage than Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia.
That’s to not say issues can’t change and swing again in Barca’s favour. But it surely’s one heck of a problem for Flick.
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