Real Madrid came out on top in El Clásico for the first time under Xabi Alonso as they overcame Barcelona with a 2-1 victory at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday after on, with Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham on the scoresheet either side of a Fermín López equaliser. The result means Real Madrid now sleep five points clear at the top of La Liga, ahead of Barcelona, and seven points ahead of Villarreal in third place.
1. Who would play in defence?
Even though the line-up seemed pretty clear, there were so many defensive injuries and doubts that it left question marks over who would play in the Real Madrid defence. With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen and Raúl Asencio all overcoming knocks and injuries to make the squad, Huijsen was the only man to start, and the defensive unit looked as strong as ever. Injury to Fede Valverde, forced off with what seemed like a pulled muscle in the second half, could force Xabi Alonso into making a decision on his first-choice right-back sooner rather than later. On this occasion, it was Carvajal who came on to replace the vice-captain, but both him and Alexander-Arnold will compete for the spot against Valencia next weekend.
2. Could Xabi Alonso get his first “high-stakes” win?
After the derby defeat against Atlético Madrid, which followed the Club World Cup semi-final loss to Paris Saint-Germain, the question of Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid quickly became whether he was capable of getting a “big win” out of his team. Following in the footsteps of Carlo Ancelotti, a specialist in the big occasions, Alonso has had his work cut out but knew that in becoming only the second Real Madrid coach to win his first Clásico in the last decade, matching Zinedine Zidane, he would go some way to calming those nerves. This was an impressive win not only in terms of the performance, but in terms of the tactical set-up which outsmarted Hansi Flick and Barcelona from the off. At no point in this game did Barcelona look like they were on top or the better team. Job done for Xabi Alonso.
3. How far would Barcelona be from their best?
With no Hansi Flick in the dugout as he served a suspension, it was true that this was not Barcelona at their full strength. Without Robert Lewandowski or Raphinha in attack, while Lamine Yamal was not fully fit, without Gavi or Dani Olmo in midfield, Andreas Christensen in defence, or Joan García or Marc-André Ter Stegen in goal, Barça were lacking far more regulars than Real Madrid, even with their defensive absences. The question was whether Real Madrid would be able to make the most of this. They did, while Wojciech Szczesny produced arguably his best performance in a Barcelona shirt, Real Madrid exploited the gaps in midfield and were able to shut out the Barça offensive block easily. Lamine Yamal’s dreadful display, with 21 possession losses, was in part down to a lack of fitness, but also down to a superb performance from Álvaro Carreras and smart tactical work to silence him and deny him space.
1. How should Xabi Alonso handle Vinícius Júnior’s reaction to being subbed off?
If there was a negative for Real Madrid, it was the fury in Vinícius Júnior’s reaction when Xabi Alonso opted to replace him on 72 minutes. The Brazilian threw up his arms and made a beehive for the tunnel, with no features towards the coach or the bench on his way. With his team leading in such a crucial game, it was a bizarre reaction. Alonso has struggled a little in this aspect, failing to manage the egos of a challenging dressing room as Carlo Ancelotti did during his stint in charge. Alonso has rotated everyone, other than Kylian Mbappé, and it requires further work to keep all of his players happy. The ongoing battle to satisfy Vinícius and rotate his attacking options continues to be one of the few uncertainties in the Xabi Alonso reign.
2. How many goals will Kylian Mbappé score this season?
A missed penalty in a Clásico could have been dramatic, but when you are Kylian Mbappé, you make enough of an impact for it not to be decisive. The Frenchman is now on 11 goals in 10 games in La Liga this season, putting him on track for 42 goals in the league alone through the season, which would surpass his return of 31 goals in 34 games last season. The Frenchman is on fire, but there is an element of dependence on his services. It was a superb goal ruled out for a millimetric offside, and he then scored the goal to break the deadlock. In 10 league games to date this season, he has scored in nine. Of those nine, he has scored the opening goal in five games. Mbappé’s finishing is the best it has been since he joined the club, and he’s showing it on the big occasions, as he proved on Sunday afternoon.
3. Can this be a turning point for Jude Bellingham?
For the first time since January 3rd, Jude Bellingham recorded both an assist and a goal in the same game. The last time it happened was when he scored an injury-time winner at Mestalla at the very start of Valencia, and on Sunday he looked to be back to his dominant best. The England international was involved in 18 duels in total, in a much more combative role than many expected him to play in the middle of the park, but more than proving himself capable of taking on one of Spain’s more gifted midfielders in Pedri, who ended the afternoon with a red card. Bellingham has now scored in back-to-back games for the first time since he scored against Leganés and Real Sociedad in late March and early April of this year.
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