Real Madrid – Barcelona: Los Blancos Outwitted the Catalans (2-1)

Controversy and drama prevailed in the clash between Spain’s big mammoths. Stifling high press, compact medium block, and Camavinga as a right winger gave Los Blancos the edge over their archenemies to extend their La Liga lead to five points over Barcelona.

Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri.

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Injuries have hindered Barcelona since the start of the season. Raphinha, one of the main protagonists of the 2024/25 season, has missed four games before El Clásico in the hope of getting him ready against Real Madrid. Nevertheless, the Brazilian’s return has been rushed, which has led to another relapse. Raphinha’s setback would potentially sideline him for another month. Fermin Lopez was the only one returning after missing a month of action. The latter inaugurated his comeback with a hat trick against Olympiacos. Moreover, Barcelona failed to appeal against the red card Hansi Flick received against Girona.

Before El Clásico, Real Madrid managed to win eleven matches out of twelve under Xabi Alonso. Despite difficulties faced in the last two fixtures, Los Blancos were able to find routes toward Getafe and Juventus goals. Still, Xabi Alonso hasn’t taken the team to the level where his men can dismantle compact, sternest low blocks. In other words, attacking flair in such situations is a work in progress, as the Spanish manager alluded that his team is still a project at its start. In the buildup to El Clásico, Dean Huijsen, Dani Carvajal, and Alexander-Arnold returned after they served rehab periods from injuries, whilst Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba are still out of service.

Xabi Alonso made two changes to the lineup he opted for the 1-0 victory against Juventus.  Dean Huijsen replaced Raúl Asencio to sit alongside Éder Militão in the defense. Alvaro Carreras and Federico Valverde remained intact. Arda Güler joined Aurélien Tchouaméni in the pivot. Brahim Diaz made way for Eduardo Camavinga. Vinicius Junior hugged the touchlines, whereas Jude Bellingham operated as an attacking midfielder behind Kylian Mbappé.

Hansi started the clash against Real Madrid with the same backline as the 6-1 thrashing of Olympiacos. Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, and Alejandro Balde formed the defense. Frenkie De Jong reclaimed his position alongside Pedri in the pivot. Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal held their places as wingers, with Ferran Torres leading the attack in front of Fermin Lopez.

Real Madrid medium block

Following Rashford’s corner kick, Thibaut Courtois punched the ball forward toward De Jong, who missed the pass for Valverde to pick up and initiate the counter. The Uruguayan carried the ball down the flanks to find Vinicius Junior between Balde and Lamine Yamal. The Brazilian winger attempted to set Mbappé behind Barcelona’s right back. However, the latter blocked the pass off, allowing Barcelona to retreat. Bellingham collected the ball and found Carreras, who put Vinicius Junior in one-on-one situations against Koundé. The former penetrated the box and cut in, trying to curl the ball, but his foot collided with Lamine Yamal.

Out of possession, Real Madrid sat in a 4-1-4-1 medium block, whereas Barcelona recalled their usual rituals in possession. Rashford tucked in, leaving room for Balde to push on down the wide channel. The latter forced Bellingham to shift across, which opened up a direct passing lane between Eric Garcia and Marcus Rashford. The Englishman magnetized Tchouaméni and Camavinga toward him to pick out Ferran Torres between the lines. In the meantime, Fermin Lopez continued to push Dean Huijsen backward, creating an isolated situation for Lamine Yamal against Alvaro Carreras. Lamine Yamal cut in to curl his shot, which went off-target.

In the medium block, Real Madrid’s midfielders tended to get tight on Pedri and De Jong to oblige the visitors to circulate backward or around toward Alejandro Balde. Jude Bellingham instantly pouncing on Balde catalyzed the hosts’ transition from a medium block to a high press. In other words, Alejandro Balde being closed down, restricted from passing options, and forced to pass the ball rearward triggered Real Madrid’s jumps.

11th minute: As the ball goes to Pau Cubarsi, Arda Güler shifts toward the Spanish center-back, whereas Tchouaméni and Camavinga mark De Jong and Pedri. Meanwhile, Dean Huijsen steps out on Fermin Lopez; however, Ferran Torres, attacking the evacuated space, has him retreat to his initial spot, leaving his man free between the lines. Vinicius Junior’s late shift toward Koundé gives the latter time on the ball to glide it diagonally toward Fermin Lopez.

One minute later, similar dynamics occurred. Bellingham shut down Balde to force the play backward, which saw Real Madrid shift to a man-marking high press. Szczęsny, with an imprecise pass, put Cubarsi in a situation where he had to hoof the ball forward. Éder Militão bossed Ferran Torres in the aerial duel, heading the ball to Fermin Lopez in the middle of the park. Tchouaméni, Camavinga, and Güler swarmed, dispossessing Fermin Lopez to assist Kylian Mbappé’s disallowed goal.

Camavinga wide on the right

Real Madrid constructed their attacks in a 4-3-3 shape, in which Camavinga shifted as a right winger. Barcelona relied on the same 4-2-3-1 formation in the high press, with Ferran Torres running toward Huijsen, whilst Rashford jumped on Militão. Barcelona’s midfielders stayed close to Real Madrid’s midfielders, whereas Balde arrived late on Valverde. That saw the latter prod the ball onto Camavinga, who dropped in near the flanks, with Bellingham pushing on to pin Eric Garcia. The home team took advantage of De Jong and Pedri shuffling across to provide wide support and Lamine Yamal narrowing inside near Arda Güler. As a result, Camavinga was able to cut inside and switch the ball to the free Alvaro Carreras.

Twenty-one minutes in, Real Madrid circulated the ball around Barcelona’s 4-2-3-1 medium block toward Camavinga. Bellingham, with a feint, created separation from Eric Garcia down the right inside channel and received Camavinga’s pass. The French midfielder sprinted forward, dragging Balde with him and pushing the visitors’ defensive line backward. In the meantime, Bellingham deceived Pedri to generate space around him and slice Barcelona open with a through ball to Mbappé. The latter powered a shot past Wojciech Szczęsny.

Camavinga, operating as a right winger, was tasked with keeping tabs on Balde high up the pitch, with Valverde in the right back spot monitoring Rashford. With the tight man-marking approach in midfield, Eric Garcia had no choice but to slide the ball to Rashford. Valverde stepped out aggressively to dispossess the Englishman, allowing Arda Güler to collect the loose ball and glide it behind to Kylian Mbappé. Fortunately, Eric Garcia’s sliding tackle cleared the ball out.

34th minute: From an open play situation, Camavinga withdraws to unlock Real Madrid’s wide progression. Rashford, not tracking Valverde back, drives the white to create an overload near the flanks. Valverde navigates passes with Bellingham for the latter to drift inside. Nonetheless, Pedri retreats and pokes the ball backward to Pau Cubarsi, who gets caught by surprise as Mbappé runs behind him. Mbappé finds Vinicius Junior alone near the far post. The Brazilian winger opts for bending the ball toward the right of the net, ignoring Arda Güler’s overlap.

Barcelona’s offensive threat came through Balde pushing down the left inside channel with Rashford hugging the touchlines, which forced Camavinga to drop in. That saw Real Madrid defend in a 5-1-3-1 low block. As a reaction, Eric Garcia advanced around Bellingham, generating a numerical superiority with De Jong down the left half-space. Garcia carried the ball around Bellingham, with Balde drawing Tchouaméni’s attention. As a result, the latter left Ferran Torres free as a passing option for Eric Garcia. Barcelona’s center-back put Ferran Torres in front of the net; however, his shot lacked power and accuracy.

Real Madrid’s man-marking approach forced Eric Garcia to pass the ball to one of Ferran Torres or Marcus Rashford, who tended to drop off between the lines. However, Éder Militão and Federico Valverde, hunting them closely, enabled the white team to cut the ball off and turn it over. Thirty-seven minutes in, Valverde’s sliding tackle warded off Barcelona’s buildup, guiding the ball toward Huijsen. From the first time pass, the Spanish center-back picked out Arda Güler, who instantly spotted a two-versus-one situation on the left. Carreras, on the overlap with Vinicius Junior, permitted him to attack the cutback zone and punch the ball back toward Bellingham at the edge of the box. Szczęsny successfully collected the English midfielder’s shot.

Barcelona’s offensive glimpses

Barcelona exploited Real Madrid’s failed attempt to build from the back. With Fermin Lopez following Tchouaméni across, Valverde was able to access the free Arda Güler, as Pedri stayed close to Barcelona’s backline to offer support. Arda Güler, holding off the ball for a long time, allowed Pedri to jump and strip the ball away from the Turkish midfielder. Balde picked it up and made use of Valverde’s wide position to feed Rashford behind. The latter squared the pass to Fermin Lopez to level the tie.

The Catalans leveraged Real Madrid’s rest defense post corner kick to counter. Forty minutes in,  Szczęsny cleared Arda Güler’s inswinging corner toward Fermin Lopez. The latter, with Lamine Yamal, outnumbered Vinicius Junior at the edge of the box to work the ball out. Barcelona embarked on a sprint to conquer the space behind. Fermin Lopez picked out Pedri at the edge of the box. However, Camavinga’s recovery run prevented Pedri’s pass from finding Ferran Torres.

One minute later, Barcelona got a taste of their own medicine. Dean Huijsen cleared the visitors’ corner kick off the line, with Carreras smashing the rebound away. Arda Güler drew Pedri’s attention, allowing Vinicius Junior to turn around and lead the counter. Pedri pulled the Brazilian off his shirt to halt his sprint. Nonetheless, you can’t acquire all that you desire. Arda Güler played the free kick toward Vinicius Junior, who outpaced Koundé, attacking the byline to clip the ball toward the far post. Éder Militão towered over Alejandro Balde to head the ball across for Bellingham to gobble up the tap-in.

Real Madrid and Barcelona’s high-press

In the deep buildup, the home team yielded numerical superiority, with Arda Güler moving from high to low positions alongside Aurélien Tchouaméni. As a response, Frenkie De Jong followed the Turkish midfielder high up the pitch. In addition, Lamine Yamal, being close to Alvaro Carreras, encouraged Koundé to remain in his position. With Fermin Lopez jumping on Dean Huijsen, Real Madrid had the free man in Tchouaméni to work the ball out to the inverted Eduardo Camavinga in the right inside channel. The French midfielder and Jude Bellingham overloaded Pedri between the lines to access Vinicius Junior on the left. Meanwhile, Alvaro Carreras, on the overlap, squared his pass toward Bellingham at the edge of the box to find Mbappé around Balde. Fortunately, Eric Garcia jumped on Mbappé’s backward pass to Valverde to nip the attack in the bud.

45+5th minute: Real Madrid buildup sequence. Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez jump on Dean Huijsen and Arda Güler. With Pedri and De Jong maintaining their close position with the backline, Tchouaméni remains free to link between Huijsen and Carreras. Real Madrid keeps generating the numerical edge as they progress with the ball. Hence, a ball combination between Carreras and Tchouaméni sets the latter in position to glide the ball in behind for Mbappé. He puts extra power in the pass.

As aforementioned, Real Madrid’s man-marking high press was stifling in goal-kick situations. Three minutes into the second half, Szczęsny and Eric Garcia were forced to funnel the ball sideways. Alejandro Balde prodded the ball onto the dropping Rashford. However, Camavinga snatched the ball off the English winger’s feet, initiating the turnover. Camavinga found Bellingham, who dribbled past Pedri and attacked the byline to cut the ball back. Nonetheless, his delivery collided with Eric Garcia’s hands, driving the referee to whistle a penalty kick. Szczęsny, with an arm stretch, denied Mbappé’s attempt to double up the deficit.

Four minutes later, the white team’s high press suffocated Barcelona. However, Balde was able to collect Tchouaméni’s pass to recycle. Pau Cubarsi made use of Vinicius Junior’s jump toward him to find Jules Koundé free near the touchlines. Arda Güler moved wide to take over, but he was late as Koundé accessed Lamine Yamal, who dropped deeper down the right inside channel. After joining the crew on the right side, Fermin Lopez embarked on a sprint behind Carreras. As a result, Fermin Lopez picked up Lamine Yamal’s pass and attacked Real Madrid in a three-versus-two situation. Fermin Lopez ignored Rashford and Torres on his sides and opted for firing a shot in Courtois’ hands.

From a 4-2-3-1 medium block, Fermin Lopez tended to run toward Dean Huijsen. Meanwhile, Alvaro Carreras inverted behind Lamine Yamal, who kept a close position with Eduardo Camavinga. As Tchouaméni advanced, Real Madrid created a four-versus-three situation in the middle of the park, enabling them to work the ball out and switch it toward Valverde. On the right side, Brahim Diaz narrowed inside, dragging Balde with him, allowing Valverde space and time on the ball to slide it behind the defense. However, Barcelona’s backline trapped the Moroccan offside.

With Brahim Diaz coming on, Eduardo Camavinga returned to operate alongside Tchouaméni. The pair, getting tight on De Jong and Pedri with Huijsen stepping out on Fermin Lopez, stripped Barcelona of central options to progress. As a reaction, Pedri tended to shift wide; however, Camavinga tracked the Spanish midfielder near the touchlines to take the ball off him and release his team in a turnover. Brahim Diaz, Camavinga, and Bellingham navigated passes to get out of traffic. Mbappé and Vinicius Junior overloaded Koundé on the left. Nevertheless, Brahim Diaz missed his pass.

75th minute: Real Madrid exploits Barcelona’s narrow 4-2-3-1 medium block. Éder Militão clips the ball to Alvaro Carreras, who pushes on behind Lamine Yamal. Jude Bellingham joins the crew on the left, forcing Pedri to shuffle across. As a consequence, Tchouaméni is left free near the halfway line. Carreras recycles to Huijsen to find Tchouaméni, whose long pass lands around Szczęsny.

Nearing the end of the clash, Real Madrid retreated to defend in a 4-4-2 low block. Rashford operated as a striker, with Fermin Lopez taking position down the left inside channel to leave room for Balde near the touchlines. Brahim Diaz handed the responsibility for marking Balde to Carvajal to drift infield and take charge of Pedri. The latter made use of Brahim Diaz’s lateness to receive and dribble past him. The Moroccan compensated by tracking back with Camavinga doubling up on Pedri at the edge of the box.

Real Madrid aimed to hurt their archenemies on the counters, taking advantage of Barcelona’s suboptimal rest defense. Still ten minutes until the end, Bellingham collected the loose ball down the left half-space and fed Rodrygo near the touchlines. Pedri and Marc Casado shifted toward Camavinga, but it wasn’t enough to ward off his pass toward Mbappé. In the meantime, Tchouaméni crept behind Pedri, providing Mbappé with a free option to pick out. Tchouaméni scampered forward, waiting for Mbappé’s sprint behind the backline to slice the Catalans open. Mbappé penetrated the box in a one-on-one against Ronald Araújo, who kept his legs narrow to block off Mbappé’s shot.

Still one minute in, Alejandro Balde pushed on, forcing Brahim Diaz to retreat. Real Madrid defended in a 5-4-1 low block. Lamine Yamal stepped behind the block on the left side. Meanwhile, Jules Koundé stealthily infiltrated the box, sneaking behind Rodrygo. Lamine Yamal clipped the ball behind Real Madrid’s defensive line toward the French right back. However, the first touch failed him, allowing Courtois to pick up the ball.

Takeaways

Real Madrid deepened the difference with Barcelona to five points in La Liga. Xabi Alonso’s tactical tweaks gave Los Blancos the edge they have been yearning for a long time against the Catalans. The Spanish manager, inducting Eduardo Camavinga as a right winger, had taken Barcelona aback, as Alonso stated that Camavinga was crucial to bypass Barcelona’s high press and unlock central and wide progression.

Barcelona looked short of solutions against Real Madrid’s man-marking high press, often giving up the ball in risky positions. That saw the white team generate turnovers close to Barcelona’s goals. Not only that, but Real Madrid’s also found out routes through and around the Catalans’ defensive unit via wide and central overloads.

It’s worth mentioning that Barcelona was able to find solutions to Real Madrid’s high press via Lamine Yamal dropping deeper down the right inside channel, pulling out the white team’s defenders, and releasing Fermin Lopez behind. However, it wasn’t enough to hurt the hosts.

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