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“Whenever I win they are unable to say a word,” Lamine Yamal previously stated, but this time he didn’t win and opponents were coming for him. Comments were made he was overly vocal; they replied that, yeah, they were going to see him outside; they told him talk is cheap. And that was just the players: there was more from the preachers in their pulpits, individuals who never lose.

On the eve the clásico, the teenager who says he abandoned nervousness back in his hometown suggested that Real Madrid rob and complain, or so it goes. He also provided a reminder that the last time he had been the Santiago Bernabéu – as a youngster with blaugrana braces, a glint in his eye and a right foot they didn’t know he possessed – his team triumphed 4-0. Yet that was past and this was now. Moreover, more mature now, precisely twelve months later, his side fell short. He knew, they told him so.

Bellingham scores clásico decisive goal as the Madrid club open a gap of Barcelona

When the match conclusion sounded on an intense, heated latest clásico that felt a little like old times, Lamine Yamal walked towards Madrid’s captain, hand out. Instead of accepting it, Carvajal did the classic jibber-jabber gesture. The match was challenging keeping up with all the action that unfolded in over an hour and forty-five that went before, an encounter of 38 shots, multiple scores scored and additional efforts ruled out; at that moment it became impossible.

All at once there were players all around, running in and out of view and converging, police pulling individuals apart. In the middle the melee, Madrid’s goalkeeper took up the offer to resume the dispute down the tunnel. The Brazilian forward was restrained, he saying to someone as well they are too vocal. Barcelona’s winger hurried to intervene with his countryman, Antonio Rüdiger also present. “It was our youth,” Aurélien Tchouaméni commented.

Shift in Momentum

In April, the French star had written: “Opponents rejoice in our losses like we will never win again. We will return stronger.” Madrid had just lost a derby Spanish Cup showpiece 3-2 in extra time, emotional scenes following the end, ice cubes being thrown. A fortnight afterwards, they suffered another loss. In four clásicos, the team had lost on each occasion, La Liga, Copa del Rey and Super Cup won by Barcelona. Their defense allowed 4, 5, 3 and four. However there remains tomorrow and as it happened Tchouaméni was right.

On just one occasion have the Catalan side previously secured five derbies in a row, Pep Guardiola’s historic streak ending with the famous 5-0 versus José Mourinho’s side, and it wouldn’t happen again. On Sunday, Real Madrid ended the coach’s unbeaten start in charge, beating Barcelona 2-1 to move a significant margin clear at the top in La Liga.

What It Means

Madrid had needed this. Their post-match joy said so, players celebrating together. So did the noise, the Bernabéu more vocal and more edgy compared to on a clásico day for years: “incredible,” the English midfielder called it. The coach said so too. When questioned if the win represented a relief, if there had been a mental block around important matches, an obsession, Xabi Alonso shot back: “That is the media’s narrative.” But he did admit that the result represented “more than a win, and our recent history and what it means to us; the boys needed that feeling of securing a victory in a major fixture.”

Last season they failed to secure a win in such matches. Fourteen times they lost: Lille, Milan, Liverpool, Bilbao, city rivals, Betis, Atlético, Valencia and Arsenal all beat them. They did not achieve a single win against a top-tier opponent. Carlo Ancelotti went and was replaced by Xabi Alonso but it continued. Madrid won several victories in the global tournament, indications of tactical organization developing, an idea, but then came PSG.

Season Progress

That is part of last season, the coach said. Yet the new campaign, his season, started with a winning streak consecutively before city rivals came and put 5 past them. The results were positive defeating newly promoted, island team and Pamplona side but what about elite opponents? Now at last they defeated a major rival as well. Moreover not only that Madrid won, it was the manner they won.

The opposition had players unavailable: backup keeper, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Robert Lewandowski and Andreas Christensen were absent. Additionally Raphinha, whose significance may at least be fully recognised by his absence. Several players weren’t fully fit, Jules Koundé and Lamine Yamal included. On the bench they had five players who not begun a league game, two more who had started only once; two 17-year-olds, four 18-year-olds and two who are 19. And a centre-back, Uruguayan star, who ended it up front once more. Even their manager was missing, Flick suspended and stuck in a radio cabin. Marcus Sorg, his assistant, has been in the dugout on three occasions: he suffered defeats in all of them.

Tactical Analysis

Much is made of Barcelona’s defensive setup, yet they did not attack well during the match. Among comments directed to Lamine Yamal that day, maybe the most revealing was from the Brazilian mid-match, mocking the teenager by saying: “Your play is backwards passes.” Regarding that backline, more porous compared to past with the defender departing, the pressure on passers dropping and coordination off, one opponent made multiple opportunities against them, another team 5, Sevilla 5, Catalan club three. Last year they trapped the French forward offside on multiple occasions in an open clásico; however, overshadowed by the defeats, is the fact in their most recent match he got a hat-trick, Madrid always positioned to get opportunities now.

Decisive Actions

With this approach, in particular. The match served as a beginning as well as a significant result. “In the future we will require a lot of what we did in this game,” the manager commented. The team had shots in the net on five occasions – three ruled out for offside – missed {a penalty|a spot-kick