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“Whenever I emerge victorious they can’t say a word,” Lamine Yamal once remarked, however this time he came up short and they closed in for him. Comments were made he spoke too much; came the response that, yeah, they would see him outside; the message was talk is cheap. And that was just the players: there was more from the preachers in their pulpits, men who never lose.

On the eve this epic clash, young Lamine Yamal who says he left fear behind in his hometown implied that Real Madrid rob and complain, or so it goes. He also provided a reminder that the last time he stepped onto the Santiago Bernabéu – a kid with blaugrana dental work, a spark in his gaze and a right foot was unexpected he had – he beat them 4-0. Yet that was past and the present differed. And, an adult now, precisely twelve months later, his side fell short. He knew, as opponents made sure.

Jude Bellingham nets clásico decisive goal as the Madrid club open a gap of their rivals

When the final whistle sounded on a wild, intense latest Madrid-Barca match that felt a little like old times, the Barcelona winger walked in the direction of Dani Carvajal, offering a handshake. Instead of taking it, Madrid’s captain did the classic jibber-jabber gesture. It had been hard enough keeping up with everything that happened in the 105 minutes that went before, a match of 38 shots, multiple scores scored and additional efforts disallowed; now it was impossible.

All at once there were players all around, running back and forth of view and converging, security separating individuals away from each other. In the middle the scuffle, Madrid’s goalkeeper took up the invitation to continue the dispute down the tunnel. The Brazilian forward was being held back, he saying to someone as well they talk to much. Barcelona’s winger hurried to stop his countryman, Antonio Rüdiger there too. “It was our youth,” Aurélien Tchouaméni said.

Shift in Momentum

In April, the French star had written: “They rejoice in our defeats like we will never win again. We’ll be back.” Madrid had just lost a clásico Copa del Rey showpiece 3-2 after additional minutes, emotional scenes greeting the end, ice cubes flying. A fortnight later, they suffered another loss. Over four encounters, the team had lost four times, league, cup and Super Cup going to their rivals. They had conceded four, 5, three and four. However there is always tomorrow and as it happened Tchouaméni proved correct.

Only once have the Catalan side previously secured 5 clásicos consecutively, Pep Guardiola’s historic run concluding with the famous 5-0 versus Mourinho’s side, and it was not repeated. This past weekend, Real Madrid brought to a close Hansi Flick’s perfect record as manager, defeating Barcelona 2-1 to move a significant margin ahead at the top of the table.

Significance

Madrid had needed this. The celebration reflected this, players celebrating together. So did the crowd’s roar, the Bernabéu louder and more edgy compared to for such matches for years: “amazing,” the English midfielder called it. The coach echoed this. Asked if this was a relief, if existed a psychosis regarding big games, an obsession, he responded: “That’s you lot’s thing.” But he acknowledged that the result represented “not just three points, but where we come from and its importance to us; the players needed the experience of winning a big game.”

In the previous campaign they failed to secure a win in such matches. On fourteen occasions they lost: Lille, Milan, Liverpool, Bilbao, city rivals, Sevilla-based, Atlético, Valencia and London club all beat them. There wasn’t a single win against a top-tier opponent. The previous manager departed and succeeded by Alonso yet the trend persisted. Madrid won several victories in the global tournament, signs of tactical organization emerging, a game plan, but they faced Paris Saint Germain.

Season Progress

That defeat is part of the prior year, Alonso stated. Yet the new campaign, under his guidance season, began with six wins in a row before Atlético came and put five against them. The results were positive beating newly promoted, island team and Osasuna however, against elite opponents? Finally they defeated a major rival as well. Moreover it wasn’t just that Madrid triumphed, but also the way they achieved it.

Barcelona were missing unavailable: Joan García, young midfielder, Dani Olmo, star striker and defender were all missing. So too Raphinha, an important player might now be fully recognised in absentia. Others weren’t fully fit, defender and Lamine Yamal among them. On the bench were several individuals who hadn’t started in La Liga, others who had started only once; teenagers, young talents and two who are nineteen. And a centre-back, Ronald Araújo, who ended it in attack again. Additionally their manager was missing, Hansi Flick banned and stuck in a radio cabin. Marcus Sorg, Sorg, was on the touchline on three occasions: he suffered defeats in all of them.

Tactical Analysis

Much is made of Barcelona’s vulnerable high line, but they did not attack effectively during the match. Among comments directed at the young player on Sunday, maybe the most revealing came from the Brazilian mid-match, mocking the teenager by telling him: “You’re all backwards passes.” As for their defense, more porous than before after the defender departing, the pressure on passers dropping and coordination lacking, Levante created multiple opportunities against them, Rayo five, Sevilla five, Catalan club three. Previously they caught Kylian Mbappé offside on multiple occasions in a high-scoring game; however, overshadowed by the defeats, was that in their most recent match he scored a hat-trick, Madrid consistently likely to get opportunities now.

Decisive Actions

With this approach, in particular. The match served as a beginning and also an end in itself. “In the future we will require a lot of our performance in this game,” Alonso commented. They put the ball result in goals five times – three disallowed for offside – failed to convert {a penalty|a spot-kick