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“As long as I emerge victorious they can’t say a word,” Lamine Yamal once stated, but this time he came up short and they closed in for him. They said he was overly vocal; came the response that, yeah, they were going to meet him outside; the message was words mean little. This included just the players: further remarks from the preachers in their pulpits, individuals who always have opinions.

Just before the clásico, the teenager who claims he abandoned nervousness behind in his hometown implied that Real Madrid rob and complain, or so it goes. He also provided a recollection that the last time he stepped onto the Santiago Bernabéu – as a youngster with blaugrana braces, a spark in his gaze and a right foot they didn’t know he had – he beat them 4-0. Yet that was past and this was now. Moreover, an adult currently, precisely twelve months later, his side fell short. He knew, as opponents made sure.

Bellingham scores clásico winner as Real Madrid pull clear of their rivals

As the match conclusion sounded on a wild, heated 262nd Madrid-Barca match that felt somewhat like past encounters, Lamine Yamal approached towards Madrid’s captain, offering a handshake. Instead of accepting it, Carvajal made the old jibber-jabber motion. It had been challenging keeping up with all the action that unfolded in over an hour and forty-five that went before, a match of numerous attempts, multiple scores scored and additional efforts disallowed; at that moment it became impossible.

Suddenly appeared players everywhere, racing in and out of view and converging, security pulling people away from each other. Amidst the scuffle, Thibaut Courtois was accepting the offer to resume the dispute down the tunnel. Vinícius was being held back, him telling another player as well they talk to much. Raphinha hurried to stop his compatriot, Antonio Rüdiger there too. “The scene resembled our youth,” Aurélien Tchouaméni said.

Shift in Momentum

In April, Tchouaméni had written: “They rejoice in our losses like we will never win again. We will return stronger.” Real Madrid were defeated in the clásico Spanish Cup final 3-2 in extra time, emotional scenes greeting the end, projectiles being thrown. Two weeks later, they suffered another loss. In four encounters, the team had lost four times, league, Copa del Rey and Super Cup going to Barcelona. They had conceded four, 5, 3 and 4. But there is always tomorrow and it turned out Tchouaméni proved correct.

On just one occasion have the Catalan side ever won five derbies consecutively, Pep Guardiola’s historic run concluding with that 5-0 versus José Mourinho’s side, and it was not repeated. This past weekend, Real Madrid ended the coach’s unbeaten start in charge, defeating Barcelona 2-1 to go a significant margin ahead at the top in La Liga.

What It Means

The Madrid squad had needed the victory. The celebration reflected this, team members celebrating together. Likewise, the crowd’s roar, their stadium more vocal and more edgy compared to on a clásico day for years: “incredible,” the English midfielder called it. Manager Xabi Alonso said so too. When questioned whether the win represented a relief, or existed a mental block regarding big games, a fixation, Xabi Alonso responded: “That is the media’s narrative.” Yet he acknowledged that the result represented “more than three points, but where we come from and its importance for the squad; the boys required that feeling of securing a victory in a big game.”

In the previous campaign they had not won in such matches. On fourteen occasions they were defeated: Lille, Milan, English team, Bilbao, city rivals, Sevilla-based, city foes, Valencia and London club each defeated them. There wasn’t a single win versus a truly big side. Carlo Ancelotti departed and succeeded by Xabi Alonso but it continued. Madrid secured five games in the global tournament, signs of a structure developing, an idea, but then came PSG.

Current Campaign

That defeat belongs to last season, the coach said. But the next season, his term, started with a winning streak consecutively before city rivals came and put five past them. The results were all well and good beating Oviedo, Mallorca and Pamplona side however, against the big teams? Finally they defeated one of them too. Moreover it wasn’t just that they triumphed, but also the way they won.

Barcelona were missing unavailable: backup keeper, Gavi, attacking midfielder, star striker and defender were absent. Additionally the winger, whose significance might now be appreciated in absentia. Several players were not at 100%, defender and Lamine Yamal included. On the bench were several individuals who hadn’t started in La Liga, two more who featured only once; two 17-year-olds, four 18-year-olds and two who are 19. And defender, Uruguayan star, who finished the match in attack again. Additionally their manager was missing, Flick banned and located in a radio cabin. Marcus Sorg, his assistant, has been in the dugout three times: 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. Of all comments that were said at the young player on Sunday, perhaps the most telling was from the Brazilian mid-match, taunting Yamal by saying: “Your play is retreating balls.” As for their defense, more porous compared to past after Iñigo Martínez leaving, defensive intensity on opponents dropping and coordination off, one opponent created six clear chances versus Barcelona, Rayo five, Andalusian side five, Girona three. Previously they caught Kylian Mbappé in an offside position on multiple occasions in an open clásico; yet, lost amid losses, was that in their most recent match he got three goals, Madrid always likely to create chances now.

Key Moments

With this approach, in particular. The match served as a beginning and also a significant result. “Going forward we’re going to need a lot of our performance today,” the manager commented. The team had shots in the net on five occasions – three disallowed due to offside – failed to convert {a penalty|a spot-kick