🔗 Share this article

It was almost a flawless day for the Madrid side, as they overcame Barcelona 2-1 during the Clasico and increase their lead at the summit of the domestic championship with a five-point cushion.

The English midfielder got his inaugural league goal along with setup this term after a challenging period coming back from surgery on his shoulder.

Kylian Mbappe maintained his deadly touch when scoring, while Alonso's tactics in his inaugural derby as coach functioned perfectly.

However the issue surrounding Vinicius reared its head yet again.

Unhappy with his substitution, the Brazilian winger protested as he walked right by his manager before marched to the dressing room, then coming back to the substitute area later.

Manager's Approach Gets Positive Outcomes for the Midfielder

For a debut Clasico, Alonso did well, especially since the majority of Real's previous eight coaches lost their debut league encounter with Barca.

Following the relaxed method under Ancelotti failed to get results in the previous campaign, Alonso's positional game-model produced a significant outcome.

Spanish football analyst noted, The strategy worked brilliantly. Real Madrid performed excellently, and Barca didn't play well due to Madrid's tactics.”

“Without the ball, they pushed up as much as possible, if overcome, they tracked back in an organised way, all players including the forward.”

“They defended with two banks separated by 5-10 meters. Barca struggled to penetrate.”

The tactical change seems beneficial for the midfielder, as he last season was essentially asked to do everything in the center and more.

On paper the 22-year-old played on the right, but in practice he had the freedom to move centrally and either link with Mbappe or crash the penalty area.

The expert continued, “By using the French midfielder in central midfield, it brings greater energy and better ability to block the passing lanes.”

“That forced the team to deploy Jude on the right-hand side. Undoubtedly his role included to monitor the runs of Mbappe on the ball and had space, connecting with him repeatedly.”

“He was asked to move into the penalty area and position himself near the edge of the box, where he poses a threat. He also came inside to block central spaces and cause Barcelona's life very difficult.”

Strained Relations Laid Bare

Undoubtedly that the fans love Vinicius, his name rang out on several occasions by the passionate Madrid fans.

But recently there were numerous stories over the past period that Los Blancos might think about selling him should a suitable bid were to come in.

Vinicius has one season to go on his contract at the end of the campaign, yet discussions on a renewal have not progressed.

Vinicius' behavior to being replaced late in the game suggested strained relations. After the full-time whistle, he was held back when he moved toward Lamine Yamal.

Balague noted, “Everyone will have a go at him for good reason, because it showed a lack of respect toward his replacement taking his place.”

However, from a young age, he has lived in a hostile world, and he believes that he faces opposition.”

This mindset is tough to overcome, particularly since you consider yourself close to being the top star, then the club redirects attention towards Mbappe as the key figure.”

Recently he believes that Real Madrid isn't protecting him. Rumors indicate, potentially club-sourced, or unchallenged by officials, that they might accept a bid of a quarter-billion euros to sign him and allow him to leave.”

This affects him, and after the coach substituted him – justifiably, since he wasn't defending as required – in Vinicius' head he thinks why single me out?’.”

Building bridges will be tough to mend relations among the parties and Vinicius currently.”

Barca's Approach “Struggles”

After winning all four of previous campaign's Clasicos, this outing was emblematic of Barca's shaky beginning of the season.

Fitness issues have left without Hansi Flick of key players including Raphinha, Lewandowski plus others, and his system is not effective when they are missing.

The expert commented, Barcelona appear is a little bit less sharp when not in possession, with less desire to win it back, with reduced intensity to reclaim the ball.”

They are more vulnerable to break them down. Should the defense is flawed, like on the first goal because Alejandro Balde failed to step up, they are not helped by teammates not challenging opponents in possession as well as they should.”

Lamine Yamal, the main threat in previous meetings, was well contained.

“Their stars did not perform well. The youngster doesn't feel like he is at his best, possibly because of groin problems