Real Madrid keep the good vibes going after picking up a 2-1 win over Barcelona at Camp Nou. This win was Real Madrid’s fourth straight Clasico win, three of which have come with Ronald Koeman in the opposite dugout. This makes it the first time a Barcelona manager has lost three Clasicos in a row since the 1935/36 season. That’s a very long time.
It shows how close all these Clasicos have been since, and speaks volume of the quality of Barcelona’s current manager, even with this squad. Remember, Barcelona had Messi still in the squad for two of those three games. Goals from David Alaba and Lucas Vazquez sealed the deal for Real Madrid, and honestly, the scoreline makes it look closer than it was. Real could’ve easily scored more, had they done a few things better.
So, how did the players do against their eternal rivals?
GK – Thibaut Courtois
In all honesty, Thibaut didn’t have a whole lot to do. He was always there to catch crosses coming his way, and, mind you, there was a LOT of them in the second half. Anyway, he was all good in a positional sense. However, he had a bunch of nervy moments while he had the ball, most of them in the first half. One specific instance I remember was when he had too much power on the pass he was trying to make to Lucas Vazquez, which resulted in the ball ending up in Barcelona’s hands for a throw-in. He could’ve done better there, but he was alright in general.
Although, towards the end of the game, Courtois scared every single Real Madrid fan in existence when he went down immediately after clearing the ball, holding his knee. It looked like he won’t be able to continue, but he was there between the sticks till the end. He looked to be uncomfortable, but still managed to finish the game. In the post-game interview, the keeper said that he wasn’t in too much pain, so it probably isn’t serious.
Rating: 6/10
RB Lucas Vazquez
Great game from Vazquez. Wow, I did not expect to say these words today, but I am, and it seems like the Spaniard always performs well against Barcelona. Three games in a row against Barcelona where Lucas has started at right-back, and all of them have been great performances. This was probably his best game of the season. He had a few bad moments, especially at the start of the game but I was expecting him to have those moments. He lost the ball rather carelessly while hugging the sidelines in the first half, and made a couple of weird decisions while positioning himself in transition.
But, the rest was great from Vazquez. He defended really well, and the task ahead of him wasn’t at all that easy. He managed to keep Fati relatively quiet, and Depay didn’t have a fantastic time when he was on the wings either. To top it all off, he managed to score a goal in stoppage time. Extra points for that.
Rating: 7.5/10
CB Eder Militao
Decent game from the Brazilian centre-back. There was a lot going on in Real Madrid’s defensive third when Barcelona barged in with so many crosses, and Militao was crucial in dealing with them all. Was tidy in possession, although he did give the ball away a couple of times in the first half. He also let Gerard Pique have a free header at goal in the first 45, which wasn’t very nice. But yes, other than that, he was decent.
Rating: 6.5/10
CB David Alaba
Let me say this once and for all: There’s no better way to introduce yourself in the biggest club game on the planet. The Austrian was arguably the best player on the pitch. Alaba scored an amazing goal on one end, a break that he started by winning possession and playing it to Vinicius. Vinicius played a switch to Rodrygo, who gave the ball to Alaba, who shot it fiercely from the edge of the box into the far corner. Incredible goal from an incredible player.
Alaba was great on the defensive end as well. He made a cruicial block that prevented Fati’s shot from troubling Courtois. It could’ve been a goal if not for Alaba. He’s truly showing everyone that he’s the best player that has joined any La Liga team this season. Probably his best game of the season. Awesome performance.
Rating: 9/10
LB Ferland Mendy
Mendy had a pretty good game himself. He was defensively sound, keeping literally everyone at arm’s length and defending diligently. Gavi, Dest, Mingueza, Coutinho, it didn’t matter who was on the ball. He won the ball almost every single time, well, of course, except for the final Bacelona chance of the game, through which Aguero scored. He went forward and was involved in the attack as well, and he did well. Good game from the best defensive full-back in the world.
Rating: 7.5/10
DM Casemiro
Casemiro had a mixed game, in my opinion. He was so crucial defensively, it was really good to see him do that well for a second consecutive game. It shows that some rest, and Kroos’ return was all Casemiro needed to get back to his best defensively. But, he didn’t do well on the ball, which has been a huge issue for Casemiro, especially against teams that press a lot. Barcelona are one of them, and they won the ball back many times because of Casemiro’s inability to help Real Madrid keep possession. Sometimes he passed the ball too late, sometimes he passed it to the wrong guy, it was a mess when he was on the ball, but I’ll give him a slightly more favourable rating because of his defensive contribution.
Rating: 5.5/10
CM Luka Modric
Luka had a great game. I think his performance went under the radar a little bit, because he didn’t directly contribute to any goal. But, he was crucial on both ends of the pitch, which made it difficult for Barcelona’s defenders to defend, their attackers to attack, and their midfielders to retain possession. Modric created a lot of chances for Real Madrid, and his energy and pace didn’t seem like that of a 36 year old. He had a few giveaways at the start, but like almost everyone else, he got a lot better as the game went on.
Rating: 8/10
CM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos had a very nice game. He was crucial in slowing the pace down and building it back up, he linked up well with Vinicius and Mendy, and since a lot of the attack – especially in the first 60 minutes – went through the left side, Kroos was heavily involved in most of it, if not all. He dealt really well with Barcelona’s surprisingly good press, and did a good job overall. Most players did, which is what makes me so happy.
Rating: 8/10
RW Rodrygo Goes
Rodrygo had a good game. Not his best, by any means, but certainly one of his important ones. He wasn’t really involved in the attack apart from his inch-perfect pass to David Alaba for the first goal, but he was really, really important on the other side of the field. Ancelotti’s (correct) decision to start Rodrygo and have him support Vazquez whenever Jordi Alba provides overloads, and otherwise as well, was a great decision. He did some good defending, and was one of the reasons why he was picked over Fede Valverde and Eden Hazard.
Rating: 6.5/10
CF Karim Benzema
Benzema had a very quiet first half, and you don’t hear this many times. But yes, this game was one of his weaker performances. He did improve in the second half by being involved in the attack more, dribbling past defenders in tight spaces and keeping possession of the ball, and also setting Vinicius free on a bunch of occasions. He ended the game with two key passes and a chance that he could’ve probably finished. I’m talking about the one where Modric flicks the ball towards him, and he takes a shot straight at Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. It was really uncharacteristic, as on any other day, he probably would’ve scored. That’s about it, really.
I was expecting him to have a great game, especially considering how it’s his final game before the Ballon d’Or voting ends, so I was in the assumption that he’d play with a chip on his shoulder to make the most of it. Couple it with the fact that Barcelona have a very weak defense right now, he should’ve done better.
Rating: 6.5/10
LW Vinicius Jr
Vinicius’ streak of brilliant performances continues here as well. He was once again instrumental in making sure that Real Madrid get the win. He troubled the Barcelona defense a little too much, especially in the first half, and was exceptional with the ball. He didn’t register a goal or an assist, but played an important role in the first goal. He was the one that played the cross field switch to Rodrygo while being off-balance. It was the right decision, and he did it right after using his blistering pace to get past a couple of Barcelona players.
His influence waned down a little bit in the second half, and Dest did a good job of keeping him in check when he switched to a more defensive position, but Vinicius did what he had to do. He was great, and he will keep being great for years to come. This game is a great example of how much he has grown as a footballer.
Rating: 8.5/10