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“As long as I win they can’t say anything,” Lamine Yamal previously remarked, however on this occasion he came up short and they were coming for him. Comments were made he spoke too much; came the response that, yeah, they were going to meet him outside; the message was words mean little. And that was just the players: further remarks from commentators in their pulpits, individuals who never lose.

On the eve the clásico, the teenager who claims he abandoned nervousness behind in his hometown suggested that Real Madrid benefit from decisions and moan, or so it goes. Additionally, he provided a recollection that on his previous visit he had been Madrid’s home ground – a kid with blaugrana dental work, a spark in his gaze and a right foot was unexpected he possessed – his team triumphed 4-0. But that was then and this was now. Moreover, an adult now, precisely twelve months later, he was beaten back. It was clear, they told him so.

Jude Bellingham scores derby winner as Real Madrid open a gap of their rivals

When the final whistle sounded on a wild, heated latest Madrid-Barca match that felt somewhat like old times, Lamine Yamal walked in the direction of Madrid’s captain, hand out. Rather than accepting it, Madrid’s captain did the classic talking gesture. It had been challenging keeping up with everything that happened in over an hour and forty-five that went before, an encounter of 38 shots, multiple scores recorded and additional efforts ruled out; at that moment it became impossible.

Suddenly there were players all around, racing back and forth of sight and piling in, security pulling people away from each other. Amidst the melee, Madrid’s goalkeeper was accepting the invitation to continue the dispute in the dressing room area. Vinícius was restrained, he telling another player as well they talk to much. Barcelona’s winger hurried to intervene with his compatriot, the defender also present. “It was when we young,” the midfielder commented.

Turning Point

In April, Tchouaméni had written: “They celebrate our defeats like our winning days are over. We will return stronger.” Real Madrid were defeated in a clásico Spanish Cup showpiece 3-2 in extra time, emotional scenes following the end, projectiles being thrown. A fortnight afterwards, they suffered another loss. In four encounters, the team were defeated on each occasion, league, cup and Super Cup won by their rivals. They had conceded 4, five, 3 and 4. But there is always tomorrow and it turned out Tchouaméni proved correct.

Only once had Barcelona previously won 5 derbies consecutively, Pep Guardiola’s historic run concluding with that 5-0 against Mourinho’s team, and it wouldn’t happen again. This past weekend, Madrid ended Hansi Flick’s unbeaten start in charge, defeating Barcelona 2-1 to move a significant margin clear in first place of the table.

What It Means

The Madrid squad required the victory. Their post-match joy reflected this, players celebrating in circles. So did the crowd’s roar, their stadium more vocal and more edgy compared to on a clásico day in recent memory: “amazing,” Jude Bellingham called it. The coach said so too. When questioned if the win represented a relief, if existed a mental block around important matches, an obsession, he responded: “That is the media’s narrative.” Yet he acknowledged that the result represented “not just three points, and our recent history and its importance to us; the players needed the experience of securing a victory in a major fixture.”

In the previous campaign they had not won any. On fourteen occasions they lost: French side, Italian club, English team, Athletic, Espanyol, Sevilla-based, city foes, eastern side and Arsenal all beat them. There wasn’t one victory against a top-tier opponent. Carlo Ancelotti departed and succeeded by Alonso but it continued. Madrid secured five games at the Club World Cup, indications of tactical organization emerging, an idea, but then came Paris Saint Germain.

Current Campaign

That defeat belongs to last season, the coach said. But the new campaign, his season, started with six wins consecutively before Atlético visited and put 5 against them. It was all well and good beating newly promoted, Mallorca and Osasuna however, against elite opponents? Finally they had beaten one of them as well. And it wasn’t just that they triumphed, it was the way they achieved it.

The opposition were missing out: backup keeper, Gavi, attacking midfielder, star striker and defender were absent. Additionally the winger, whose significance may at least be appreciated by his absence. Others were not at 100%, Jules Koundé and Lamine Yamal among them. Among substitutes were five players who hadn’t started in La Liga, two more who featured just one time; two 17-year-olds, four 18-year-olds and two who are 19. Plus a centre-back, Uruguayan star, who finished the match in attack again. Even head coach was absent, Flick banned and stuck in a commentary box. Marcus Sorg, his assistant, has been in the dugout on three occasions: he suffered defeats in each one.

Tactical Analysis

Much is made of Barcelona’s vulnerable high line, but they did not attack well during the match. Among the things that were said to Lamine Yamal that day, perhaps the most revealing was from Vinícius during the game, mocking the teenager by telling him: “Your play is backwards passes.” Regarding their defense, leakier than before after the defender departing, the pressure on passers decreasing and coordination off, Levante made six clear chances against them, another team 5, Sevilla 5, Girona three. Last year they caught Kylian Mbappé in an offside position eight times in a high-scoring game; however, lost amid the defeats, was that in their most recent match he scored a hat-trick, Madrid always positioned to get opportunities currently.

Key Moments

Playing like this, especially. This was a start and also an end in itself. “In the future we will require a lot of our performance today,” Alonso commented. The team had the ball result in goals five times – three efforts ruled out for offside – failed to convert {a penalty|a spot-kick