After Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou on Saturday night, praise came in from all quarters for Zinedine Zidane who was managing the Blancos in his first ever Clasico as manager. Gerard Pique had given Barcelona the lead in the second half but a period of domination soon after saw Karim Benzema equalise before Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner late in the game after skipper Sergio Ramos was sent off for a second yellow card.
It was sweet revenge for Real Madrid who had lost the reverse fixture 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. And former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Thierry Henry was also full of praise for his compatriot after the capital club finally ended Barcelona’s run of 39 matches unbeaten in all competitions.
“I like the way Zidane set up the team,” Henry explained on Sky Sports. “They were not scared, they put pressure on when they needed to and kept their composure at 1-0 down.
“They were trying to play from the back under pressure and they looked like a team with the right balance.”
Henry explained how Real Madrid set themselves up to stifle Barcelona’s midfield and that Zidane was successful in keeping a lid on the home side creating chances.
“Zidane understood he had to take care of the midfield, especially against Barcelona. People wanted to know if tactically he could do something against Barcelona and he did.”
Barcelona will not let La Liga title slip away: Henry
After the win, Real Madrid are now seven points behind Barcelona with seven games to play. Barcelona are at the top with 76 points followed by Atletico Madrid on 70 and their derby rivals on 69.
When asked about whether Barcelona could let their lead slip as they look to defend the Spanish league title, Henry did not think they would. But he stressed on their next game – a Champions League quarter-final tie with league rivals Atletico Madrid – as a factor in the title race.
“You never know, but I don't think Barcelona will let the league go away,” Henry opined.
“The key game is against Atletico [Madrid on Tuesday]. You never know what can happen and that could have an effect on the league, but I think they will be okay.”
Michael Laudrup, a former Barcelona and Real Madrid player, was also of that opinion.
“Knowing Barcelona and the Catalans there will be a little doubt,” Laudrup said.
“Just one loss can create doubts, we will see in the coming week. I still think the league is done, but I want to see the impact in the coming games.”
