For those of us who woke up hours too early just to watch El Clasico, we know how the match went. A tremendous first half by Real Madrid was overshadowed by a dominant Barca side in the second half who took their chances and put it away 3-0. A tale of two halves for both sides after all. Madrid fans looking for their scapegoat. Whether it’s the referee, Kovacic or Zidane, they’re still looking for an answer. In reality, it was a chain of events that flip-flopped the game in a blink of an eye.
What went right for Madrid?
The first half was near perfect for Madrid. Their harassing pressure from the start and perfect man marking eliminated Busquets and Messi out of play. By starting Kovacic and Casemiro in the middle, they were able to eliminate Barcelona’s most important men in the middle. Barcelona were unable to play it out of the back and we saw uncharacteristic poor touches by everyone, especially Busquets. Their wingbacks joined in on the attack and their overlaps created a 2v1 chance with Sergi Roberto or Jordi Alba. If it weren’t for Pique’s dominance in the air, they would’ve created clear chances. Even then, Cristiano had at least two golden chances and so did Benzema. Unfortunately for los blancos, Cristiano whiffed the ball in one and was selfish on another when the cross seemed like the right move. Benzema had some great chances but it was his header off the post that seemed closests.
What went wrong for Madrid?
Barcelona’s first goal ruined Real Madrid’s game plan. Kovacic had a tremendous first half but it was him who allowed Rakitic to run with the ball down their throats. He seemed to be much more preoccupied with a potential run by Messi that he let Rakitic go. A play similar to one in the first half when Madrid allowed Rakitic to run with the ball until eventually running into a 3v1. In this case, Rakitic had company with him.
Madrid had started the second half by allowing Barcelona to dominate and tempting them to posses in Madrid’s half. They were aware that their counterattacks could prove to be deadly. Their direct through balls between Barcelona’s lines caused problems whenever executed properly. One mistake by Kovacic and Sergio Ramos being caught in no-man’s land thus keeping Suarez onside gave Barcelona the go-ahead goal.
From then on, Madrid set aside their system and went after the game. Barcelona then took advantage and seemed deadly in their counterattacks. To me, Kovacic’s decision to let Rakitic go was for more crucial than Carvajal’s handball. Great game just horrible decision.
What went wrong for Barcelona?
It wasn’t necessarily what Barcelona did wrong. In reality, Real Madrid’s game plan from the start neutralized their midfield thus taking Messi out of the game. Despite looking vastly inferior in the first 45, their defense stood their ground. Sergi Roberto made crucial tackles in the back and forced Cristiano to take uncomfortable shots. Nonetheless, Real Madrid exposed Barcelona’s weaknesses and gave opponents the blueprint to beat them. High intensity on the defenders and clogging the midfield makes Barcelona extremely uncomfortable. Vermaelen is not as comfortable with the ball on his feet like Umtiti or even Mascherano. Force them to play long balls out of the back knowing Suarez and Messi will not win headers against some of the bigger centerbacks.
What went right for Barcelona?
Their intense pressure in the second half led to their most dangerous attempts. Paulinho led the way with his physicality up top giving something Barcelona didn’t have in recent years. Because Madrid were forced to go up and attack, their backline was left exposed. Along with that, Valverde’s subs made perfect sense (except for Andre Gomes of course). A fresh Semedo gave them speed on that right side and gave them to chance to join the attack as well. Sergi Roberto continues to shine in the midfield and Aleix Vidal is a perfect balance of attack and defense. It wasn’t so much that Barcelona outplayed Madrid in the second half. It was the fact that Madrid’s forced switches tactically allowed Barcelona to play much more comfortably.
Controversy:
In any big game, there will be controversy. Some of the most talked about plays were Sergi Roberto’s possible handball and Sergio Ramos’ possible red card on Suarez. It’s important to remember that referees have to make split second decisions when it comes to penalties. If he saw Sergi Roberto put his arms behind his back, he’ll most likely not call that. Whether or not he leaned his elbow towards the ball. At the end of the day, big teams can’t depend on referees to make the right calls. Play your game and you won’t have to worry about the game. If Benzema and Cristiano score their first half chances, those plays are forgotten.
Agree or disagree with me? Hit me up! Twitter: @MP_persources IG: @mp_persources
