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FC Barcelona extended their lead at the top of the table to 10 points by defeating Real Madrid for the third time this year of their 4 meetings. The defeat tonight means that Real Madrid must surely be out of the LaLiga race, sitting with a frankly disgusting 48 points after 26(!) games. Madrid needed all 3 points to make it seem as though they were in a race for the title, but tonight's emotionally draining result surely means that Real must contend with top 4 and turn their attention to the UCL, the biggest club competition and Real's hunting ground.
Solari fielded the same eleven he did midweek, swapping Lucas Vasquez and Keylor Navas for Gareth Bale and Thibaut Courtois. Ernesto Valverde made just the solitary change, bringing Arthur back in midfield and shifting Sergi Roberto back to right-back.
Real Madrid started brightly, as they so often do under Santiago Solari, and looked the dominant side for the first 10 minutes, as Barcelona struggled to find their footing in the Bernebau. The match had the same intensity and feel to it as it did during the midweek clash, as Real looked to put the pressure early on the Catalans, but the visitors started to grow in confidence and stature around the 20th-minute mark.
Barcelona took the lead through Ivan Rakitic at the 26th minute, as he was found in acres of space by a superb Sergi Roberto pass, and the Croat made no mistake in looping the ball over the onrushing Madrid #25, who could only watch as the ball went up and over him and into the back of the net for the eventual winner.
Real tried to respond immediately, but all of their attempts were tame, predictable, and lacking the killer intensity needed to get back into the fixture. Gareth Bale was replaced by Marco Asensio, and surprisingly, Isco Alarcon made a brief cameo after having been sidelined by Solari since the past few fixtures. The changes made Real play more or less the same, except for Fede Valverde, who was excellent after coming on for Kroos, as the side looked much better with him there.
The Catalan giants were absolutely clinical, with their defense always popping up at the right place at the right time to disallow Real from getting themselves back in the contest. Here are some observations from the game:
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#1 Barcelona and Real are miles apart right now (and it's not just Messi)
The gulf in quality between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is truly baffling, and it has been showcased to the entire world now, as Barcelona toyed with Real and defeated them twice at their own home in 4 days. Barcelona have their attack lead by one of France's best talents, the best player in the world right now and one of Europe's most fierce marksmen.
Real's attack is lead by an unpolished, but probably, the best 18-year-old in the world right now. He's paired with the French enigma we know as Benzema, with the third man either being Lucas Vasquez or Fiorentino Perez' Ronaldo replacement Gareth Bale. If the above sentences don't make it clear enough for you, maybe this will.
Suarez is having one of his worst ever seasons, and the media is collectively saying he's past it. He's involved in 21 league goals this season (16 goals, 5 assists). Karim Benzema, Real's best hope for a goal, and also having one of his best seasons, has been involved in 13 league goals (11 goals, 2 assists)
I rest my case.
#2 Gerard Pique is a maverick
As a Real Madrid supporter, I have as much love for Pique as you'd expect. He's cost the team I love more times than I care to count, and he did so again tonight, in commanding fashion. The World Cup-winning center back was all over the pitch, not letting much get past him in terms of Real's attacking threats, barring a couple of tries from Vinicius, who could beat anyone he wanted to.
I remember very vividly, Gerard Pique got taken to town by the 18-year-old, and the Catalan wound up flat on his bum, but a moment later he was in the box making the final block on the shot that came from the same move. That summed up his night for me, as he was clearly in a mood tonight, and was not going to allow his team's goal to be breached no matter what.
Thou shall NOT pass.
#3 Real Madrid couldn't buy luck right now
Even if you're a neutral, it's hard not to feel a little bad for Real if you see the way they've performed against a side that has beaten them on the scoresheet, but only there. In the Copa fixture, Real created boat-loads of chances and had Barcelona on the ropes. They could have gone into the second half with a comfortable 3 goal cushion but failed to take even a single one of the more than a dozen chances, and were later punished for their lack of efficiency by the Champions of Spain.
Tonight, it was no different, as Real Madrid had several nice opportunities, promising plays that looked like they could amount to something, but they never did. Gareth Bale was wasteful, to say the least, and Lucas Vasquez would've been a better, likely safer option. Benzema was very poor, looking lost when trying to look for a goal, always trying to either pass the ball to the side or cross it to the head of Barca's defence.
#4 Vinicius Jr. needs A LOT more work
Being arguably the most exciting teenager in all of football right now, Vinicius Jr. sure seems to have the world at his feet right now. Starter for Europe's most prestigious and successful club, playing alongside champions from all parts of the globe and playing regularly at one of the most daunting football stadia with the most demanding fans. As if having achieved all of this in such little time wasn't enough, now the pressure is being piled on by some fans and mostly the media for the 18yo to bring more end product to his game.
Vinicius is quite raw, this being his first year outside his home country in the world's best league, and has a far way to go. Vinicius, Madrid's saving grace right now, is not the most efficient shooter. He's needed more than 80 shots to score 3 goals, so it's safe to say, his conversion rate is quite drastic. If Vinicius shot Tupac, he'd be 48 right now. More time in shooting practice.
#5 Real must invest in the summer, or watch Barcelona build a dynasty.
The only thing that hurts a Real Madrid supporter more than a loss is losing to Barcelona. Be it on the pitch or in the transfer market, losing to Barca is a tough pill to swallow, and swallow it we have, as the club has not given its fans a Clasico victory since the Super Cup victories under Zidane in August, 2017. If that is to change anytime soon, Real must chop and change a squad that has seen their best days already, and bring in some fresh blood to revamp the atmosphere as well as the playing style.
Barcelona have invested brilliantly in their squad since the sale of Neymar, having signed Dembele, Coutinho and several others for all positions on the pitch to build one of the best, if not the best squad of football players in the World. Barcelona have a concrete plan for life after Messi, and they've put it in motion with the Argentine still at the club and in full swing.
Comparing with Real Madrid, whose own talisman has moved on to pastures new, who decided to believe that the existing players will start scoring drastically more overnight, and providing them with the all vital cover of our new #7, the legendary, iconic, stupendous, mind-boggling Mariano Diaz.
If Real Madrid have any plans to at least get back to competing with Barcelona, let alone challenging them, they must look inward and make some tough decisions, or watch Barcelona collect the best young talent and build a dynasty.
