El Clasico: 5 reasons why Real Madrid lost

Real Madrid v Barcelona - La Liga
Benzema had another game to forget

A lot of people thoroughly enjoyed it when Barcelona humiliated a 10-man Madrid by beating them 3-0 at the Bernabeu. However, Madrid weren’t entirely terrible as the loss was only the contrast between the two teams’ abilities to take chances or lack thereof. In the end, Madrid have virtually lost the league before Christmas—they are 14 points behind their eternal rivals—and should now look to focus on the other competitions instead.

Here, I try to decipher the 5 reasons why Real Madrid lost out to Barcelona:

#5 Failure to capitalise spell of dominance

Real Madrid Training and Press Conference
Kovacic did an extremely good job in midfield

This was as apparent as the sun on a clear day. As the Bernabeu were cheering for the home side, things started really well for the Blancos. Mateo Kovacic, who was a surprise inclusion, completely controlled the game with his brilliance.

He was floating around the midfield and connecting the dots—both defensively and offensively—and setting the tempo of the game. His performance allowed all the other midfielders—Casemiro, Modric and Toni Kroos—to play with freedom as they were also often seen making forward runs and playing a role in attack.

The fans were pleased and were hopeful that scoring a goal would only be a matter of time, but it never happened due to the…

#4 Lack of precision

Real Madrid v Barcelona - La Liga
Cristiano and Benzema didn't have the best of days

At this point of the season, it is more than safe to claim that the biggest blunder by Madrid this year has been the sale of both Alvaro Morata and Mariano Diaz and not signing a striker to replace them. While Borja Mayoral may have scored some goals in the limited time that he has won this season, it has been apparent that Zizou doesn’t really trust him.

And now we come to the man who has been perhaps the biggest reason for Madrid’s failures: Karim Benzema.

In my 9 years of watching him play, I have never seen him play so… badly. Even when he struggled in his initial years at Madrid, he showed more than just mere hope with elegance on the ball. However, even that seems to be lacking now.

He missed a glorious chance to score as he headed a delightful cross to the post. Cristiano Ronaldo, too, was guilty of missing a few chances. This is where the difference was as…

#3 Barcelona took their chances

Real Madrid v Barcelona - La Liga
Suarez struck the first blow

In the first half, Barcelona got two chances to score, but were denied by the electrifying reflexes of Keylor Navas. In the second half, however, it seemed as though he had lost some of the superhuman powers that he displayed in the first.

And Barcelona took the opportunity with both their hands as they plunged three goals past him. The first one came after a well-crafted move that was so precise and beautiful that it looked like a Hollywood script.

At the end of that move was the visibly under-fit Luis Suarez, who might not have had a great game, but made sure that he gave his team the lead with the very first clear chance that he got.

After that, Carvajal’s silly decision to save the ball from going in with his hand earned him a red card and a penalty—after which the game was all but over for the Blancos.

#2 Tired midfield

Athletic Club v Real Madrid - La Liga
Madrid's midfield became tired

In the first-half, especially in the opening stages of the game, Madrid’s midfield completely overran their rivals. The Barca midfield seemed nonexistent to the Galacticos’ fury. As mentioned above, Kovacic, in particular, put in a great shift.

They were relentlessly pressing the Barca players while the latter were just absorbing it with patience. They knew that the Merengues couldn’t continue this for the whole game and that eventually, they would tire out.

And they did. In the second half, when Ivan Rakitic made the run from midfield that would eventually lead to Barca’s first goal, the Madrid midfielders were too slow to close him down and had to pay the price for it.

This was the theme of the entire half and it only got worse when Carvajal’s red card. After that, the Galacticos were on the backfoot, so much so that even the substitutes Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio couldn’t do much about anything.

#1 Luck

Real Madrid v Barcelona - La Liga
Barca had their fair share of luck

To win a Clasico, luck is always necessary. Always. No matter how many claim that footballing ability is what derives the outcome of a game, luck always plays at least a small role in deciding the outcome of a fixture of such high magnitude.

On a good day, Benzema’s header might have found the inside of the far post and have bounced into the net. On a good day, Cristiano Ronaldo might have shot the ball with his left and blasted the net with the raw power of his shot.

On a good day, Real Madrid might have been awarded a penalty for a handball inside the box. But it was just not a good day for the Blancos—which has been the case for quite a while in the league this season.

It is harsh to claim that luck allowed Barcelona to win as they really played well in the second half, but it can’t be denied that the god of luck wasn’t in favour of Zidane’s men.

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Edited by Ashwin Hanagudu