How Real Madrid’s tactics overpowered Barcelona

Real Madrid’s recent domination over Barcelona sent a message to fans and neutrals alike. Carlo Ancelotti got his tactics spot, Los Blancos were composed and the Catalan club struggled to respond in any meaningful way.

There are plenty of takeaways for Real Madrid’s win in the most recent El Clasico, even though the dust has already settled on the result and both clubs have picked up wins since then.

In midweek, Real Madrid managed to beat Elche 3-0, thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Fede Valverde and Marco Asensio. On the other hand, Barcelona beat Villarreal by the same scoreline. Yet, Xavi’s side are expected to be still hurting from their El Clasico defeat at the weekend, when they got tactically overpowered.

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Real Madrid managed the game better than Barcelona

When Barcelona had possession, Real Madrid kept a 4-4-2 formation that at times became a 4-5-1 with Benzema pressing in the opposition’s defensive third. As soon as the opportunities presented themselves, Los Blancos pounced and overran the opposition’s lines.

Barcelona’s predictable play failed to impose any authority as Real Madrid were content without the ball, making it clear that they had plenty of self-belief in their efficiency and effectiveness.

On the other hand, Barcelona was vulnerable on transitions and did not have a back-up plan when things were not working out on the wings. The Royal Whites refused to get stretched and were able to tolerate the Catalan club’s slow build-up, causing the effectiveness of Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha to highly diminish.

As a result, nearly all supply was cut off to Robert Lewandowski who was forced to fall deeper in attempts to carve out opportunities for himself and the team.

Toni Kroos Masterclass & Man of the Match Federico Valverde

Kroos once again showed his expertise and world-class quality. Here are noteworthy numbers for the German midfielder: he led the team on touches with 70, presses with 22, tackles with 5, blocks with 4, completed passes with 54, and ball carries with 48.

Kroos knew when to keep the ball, play through passes, maintain tactical shape, or break forward and make opportunities. His ability to pick out long balls were key in changing Real Madrid’s cadence and catching Barcelona on the break. Xavi’s side failed drastically to address the German’s influence in the match.

A major shout out to Valverde for his relentless performance. When Real Madrid lost the ball, he was picking-up slack in supporting the midfield and attack. Barcelona were unable to deal with the constant overload generated by the Uruguayan and were outworked.

This season in particular, statistics support that he has been able to get his powerful shots towards an improved percentage for shots on target. If this trend continues, it will only mean more goals or goal-scoring chances for him and his teammates.

Defensive Solidity and battles on the wings

Dani Carvajal will always be the expected starter with his experience and leadership in these types of games. Similarly to Mendy, he was able to deal with a dynamic winger.

Carvajal’s underrated performance can sometimes be taken for granted, as the Spaniard has put consistent shifts when called upon. He can still stretch the opposition’s lines with forward runs and has the stamina to return to his position.

Tracking Ousmane Dembele was never going to  be a walk in the park as the French international has a somewhat unpredictable style of dribbling. Sometimes he goes with his left, other times with his right.

Thus, Carvajal needed to rely on his years of experience of playing with the best to contain Dembele, and he did so brilliantly, while the Frenchman’s decision making left a lot to be desired.

All in all, it is becoming evident that this Real Madrid side is only getting better and will look to sustain its high level with long-term talents in Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and more. It was a total performance and a victory that will instil confidence in preparation for a long campaign with the Champions League and La Liga to defend and a World Cup in the middle.