Barcelona – Real Madrid: Ancelotti’s Men See Out Massive Win In El Clásico (1-2)

Though Sergio Agüero grabbed his first goal for Barcelona in the dying moments of the match, it would not prove to be enough to get Barcelona the win, as goals from David Alaba and Lucas Vázquez and a staunch Real Madrid defense earned Carlo Ancelotti’s side the three points in El Clásico.

Tactical analysis and match report by Charlie Tuley.

Even though Barcelona entered the match coming off of wins against Valencia and Dynamo Kyiv, Ronald Koeman’s side had not been in the best run of form. They entered the match in eighth place (albeit having a couple of matches in hand), but their recent performances have not been the most promising. Their defensive structure has been poor this season, and they have relied far too heavily on the individual brilliance of players like Memphis Depay and Ansu Fati to create and score goals.

Koeman made one change from the side that beat Valencia last weekend, with Oscar Mingueza slotting into the right back role and Sergi Roberto dropping to the bench. The rest of the back line was made up of Eric García, Gerard Piqué, and Jordi Alba. Ahead of them were Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, and Gavi, with Sergiño Dest, Memphis Depay, and Ansu Fati as the forwards. Fati and Depay played fluid roles on the forward line, with the two interchanging as the striker and left winger.

Real Madrid came into the match on a high, after they beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 . . .