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Saturday’s El Clasico took centre stage on the European football calendar once again as Barcelona and Real Madrid did battle at the Santiago Bernabeu. In the end, it was the Blaugrana who emerged victorious on an emphatic score-line of 4-0.
The hero of the contest was Uruguay international Luis Suarez who grabbed his 10th and 11th La Liga goals of the season. However, there was room, too, for Neymar Jr. who pocketed his 12th league goal, as well as a sumptuous strike from Andres Iniesta. Truth be told, it was a complete team experience as they bossed the match from beginning to end, dismissing their bitter rivals in no uncertain terms.
Not many saw this end result coming before the match began, but it was clear who the better team was only 11 minutes into the game when the first strike flew in, and it was a trend that Madrid failed to buck. So, let’s examine where it all went wrong for Rafa Benitez’s charges and why Barca were so totally dominant.
Possession nine-tenths of Barca’s law
They say space is the final frontier. If you buy into that philosophy, it is fair to suggest that Barcelona are one of the biggest exponents of adventure, daring and novelty in the world of sport, and they have always been. Simply put, Luis Enrique’s men found and broke that final barrier with ease over the weekend, dominating space everywhere they possibly could on the hallowed turf of the Bernabeu.
It is no surprise that the reigning La Liga champions looked to dominate the possession stakes. It is sort of their thing. That said, it was still shocking to see them do it so easily for the majority of the game.
Iniesta made the ball do whatever he wanted in the middle of the pitch as he spread the play wide and short with whimsical expertise. Acting as the necessary fulcrum, he helped anchor the team so well, as he normally does, with a variety of mixed passing and masterful touches to sky-rocket the play from defence to attack so fluidly. Of course, the only way their system of monopolising the ball works so well is when everyone is tuned into proceedings, feeding hungrily off the same telekinetic vibes.
So, Sergi Roberto, Ivan Rakitic and Jordi Alba all combined alongside him to produce pass after pass after pass to bamboozle and hypnotize their opponents throughout. Indeed, as the following graphic points out, there was little Real could do to stop the visitors keeping hold of the ball throughout the opening 45 minutes.
It was a trend that continued following the interval and the reasons were as much down to Barca’s exceptional play as they were due to Real’s lack of cohesion, coherence and match sharpness. Los Blancos were too ineffective on the ball
Real Madrid fail to make their mark at home
There were times during the weekend’s showpiece shootout when the hosts justs looked anonymous. There was a rhythm absent from their framework, and it displayed itself so quickly Barca had the measure of them before most of the home side had adjusted to the furious nature of the tie. Sure, Los Merengues fashioned a few chances here and there, but there was a distinct lack of creativity on display.
Isco looked out of sorts, though it was perhaps he, alongside James Rodriguez, who showed the most amount of energy on the night. Cristiano Ronaldo once more faded from view in a big game as evidenced by the way he was denied by Claudio Bravo in the 69th and 87th minutes with the goal at his mercy. Rafa Benitez seemed to understimate his opposite tactician and their defence simply couldn’t deal with the flurry of attacks that came their way.
However, their poor team display manifested itself most obviously through the middle, something best highlighted by the following image.
If there is one weakness any team should look to pounce on against Barcelona, it is their defence. It is the chink in their armour that should always be targeted. Of course, it sounds a lot easier than it actually is because you need the ball to be able to fashion chances, and they simply couldn’t get sufficient purchase on the ball on enough occasions to do so. But even when they did have the ball, they were void of dynamism, effectiveness and desire which was really disappointing to see.
Which begs the question: why couldn’t they use the ball effectively when they did get it? According to ESPN, it was the Madridistas who enjoyed a higher percentage of pass completion going into this match with almost 86% compared to their opponents’ 84.5%. True, it’s only a marginal difference, but the 2014 Champions League winners looked as if they had forgotten how to play with the ball, such was the manner of their surrender.
Pressing and graft worked a treat for Barca
In contrast to Barcelona, who pushed, pressed, hassled and harried throughout, Real were passive in their approach for much of the contest. The theme of the match became apparent very quickly: Barca were able to take their time on the ball. And when one does that, there is never going to be much hope, even if you do have the current Ballon d’Or winner on your side.
The league leaders could have played all the elegant football they desired, but it was their want to be effective, incisive and industrious that was always going to make the difference on derby day. And so it proved as they did what was important to score goals – managing to repeat history by netting four times against Madrid, just as they did last season
After all, this is a fixture filled with passion, and it is one where reputations are made and lost. Based on that, then, Barca solidified their licence to enthral while Real simply imploded against a team possessed by superiority.
The main moment that highlighted the victors’ innate desire to constantly improve arrived with the match already done and dusted as a contest. With the scoreboard showing 4-0, Neymar once more made a dashing run down the left flank. Outpacing his marker, the Brazil international whipped in a glorious cross with Munir El Haddadi and Gerard Pique both lurking inside the 18-yard area unmarked. The ball fell to the younger of the two, but his side-footed effort failed to put the gloss on the result.
The miss left Pique visibly fuming with his team-mate, which summed up just how ever-present the need to improve is among this Barca bunch, and it highlighted the imposing mentality that permeates the squad. Right now, all thoughts and worries about their suspect defence and threadbare squad are a distant whisper of a memory.
As for any rumours about unsettled stars, they seem laughable right about now – who would want to leave such a tenacious outfit?
