The El Clasico on Sunday was a big test of prowess for Real Madrid and Barcelona, and yet again, Los Blancos came out on top when the situation demanded it, going top of the La Liga as a result and winning a big psychological battle as well.
There’s a famous Jose Mourinho quote that perfectly describes the situation at hand. “They can take the ball with them at home if they want, I take the 3 points…” is what the Portuguese manager had famously said, and it perfectly represents how clinical Real Madrid were in the El Clasico, even though Barcelona had more possession.
The players looked more motivated than ever, the midfield was extremely quick and efficient with their movement and passes, and the defence shut out attacks with ease. Modric and Kroos showed Barcelona’s young guns how it’s done, and this win will give the team a lot of confidence before the rest of the league fixtures and the Champions League knockouts.
Los Merengues currently sit on top of La Liga, and let’s take a look at the top five performers who made the win possible for Real Madrid. The statistics have been taken from ESPN and LaLiga.
Real Madrid: Top 5 players who helped win El Clasico
Let’s take a look at five players who’s contributions helped Real Madrid get a 3-1 win over Barcelona in the latest El Clasico:
5. Ferland Mendy
Mendy had a disappointing moment when he left Ferran Torres unmarked which allowed Barcelona to pull one back, but overall, he had a solid game. He was very solid in offense and defence, made Raphinha look non-existent for most parts and looked surprisingly comfortable on the ball, often pressing high. He managed to give Marcelo’s deja-vu when he pushed up front, and that is not what you expect from the Frenchman, who has often been criticise for his ability going forward.
Another interesting stat is that Real Madrid have never lost a El Clasico yet, with Mendy on the field, and the left back is unbeaten in six of them. The Frenchman finished the game with five recoveries, one interception and won three of five duels.
4. Luka Modric
Modric ages like fine wine, doesn’t he? This man seems to get younger with each game, and today he showed Barcelona’s youngsters how it’s done. He gave Pedri nightmares with his touch and movement, beat two players with a back heel, and was classy as always with his skills and passes. He was taken off in the 78th minute, but he had done the job by then.
Modric was able to find the wingers at will, and his compatriot Kroos quite a lot of times, and created space efficiently.
He completed 33 passes with 97% accuracy, including one key pass and two long balls. He also won four of his 10 duels, receiving a booking as well.
3. Eder Militao
A big performance from the Brazilian, and he continues to prove that he is a player meant for the big stages, as he’s also showed us against PSG and Liverpool notably. Kept a big striker like Robert Lewandowski quiet the entire game, and man marked him perfectly.
Militao is showing promising signs that he can be the leader of this defence in the future, and he can fill the big boots of Sergio Ramos. Of course, you need to be a class defender to keep Antonio Rudiger on the bench!
Militao won three of his eight duels and made four clearances and two tackles. He also played six accurate long balls, which shows that his ability to play from the back has considerably improved.
2. Federico Valverde
11% of Valverde’s shots from outside the box this season have gone in, and he scored yet another screamer, this time against the Blaugrana. He proved to be a nightmare for Alejandro Balde, and outpaced opposition players on the right flank, who came in search of an attack.
Right when we were in fear of conceding an equalizer against Barcelona, Valverde played a perfect ball into Rodrygo, who ultimately drew a penalty which was converted into a goal.
Valverde has been in great form and shape this season, and this serves as a reminder of his importance to this side. The Uruguayan also won four of his eight duels and played seven accurate long balls and one key pass.
1. Toni Kroos
One of the best, if not the best performance we’ve seen from Kroos in the Royal White shirt. The German star showed great intent in attack, and also helped with defence, tracking back on several occasions.
These retirement rumours are a shame because he’s still got so much more to give to Real Madrid and these youngsters. Kroos helped create the first goal with a beautiful through-ball, despite a Busquets’ shirt pull, and ended the game with 8 recoveries, 5 tackles, and 49 passes, which were the most by a Real Madrid player on the day. He was the chief distributor for Los Blancos, and it was very evident that they needed this performance from him.
It’s always great to see players stepping up, and it gets even better when its against your clubs’ big rivals.