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“Whenever I emerge victorious they are unable to say anything,” the young star once remarked, however on this occasion he came up short and they closed in for him. Comments were made he spoke too much; came the response that, indeed, they were going to see him off the pitch; they told him words mean little. And that was only the players: there was more from the preachers in their pulpits, individuals who never lose.

On the eve the clásico, young Lamine Yamal who claims he abandoned nervousness back in his hometown suggested that Real Madrid benefit from decisions and moan, or so it goes. He also provided a reminder that on his previous visit he had been Madrid’s home ground – as a youngster with blaugrana dental work, a spark in his gaze and a right foot they didn’t know he had – his team triumphed 4-0. Yet that was past and this was now. Moreover, more mature currently, precisely twelve months later, his side fell short. He knew, as opponents made sure.

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When the final whistle sounded on an intense, heated 262nd Madrid-Barca match that felt somewhat like past encounters, Lamine Yamal walked towards Madrid’s captain, hand out. Instead of accepting it, Madrid’s captain made the old jibber-jabber motion. It had been hard enough keeping up with all the action that happened in the 105 minutes that preceded it, a match of 38 shots, three goals recorded and three more ruled out; at that moment it became too much.

All at once appeared players everywhere, racing in and out of sight and converging, security pulling individuals apart. Amidst the melee, Madrid’s goalkeeper took up the offer to resume the dispute in the dressing room area. Vinícius was restrained, him saying to someone as well they talk to much. Raphinha was running to intervene with his compatriot, Antonio Rüdiger also present. “The scene resembled when we young,” Aurélien Tchouaméni said.

Turning Point

Earlier this year, Tchouaméni posted: “They rejoice in our losses as if our winning days are over. We’ll be back.” Madrid had just lost the clásico Spanish Cup final 3-2 after additional minutes, emotional scenes following the final whistle, ice cubes flying. Two weeks afterwards, they suffered another loss. In four encounters, the team were defeated on each occasion, league, cup and Spanish Super Cup won by Barcelona. Their defense allowed four, five, 3 and 4. However there is always the future and as it happened Tchouaméni was right.

Only once had Barcelona previously secured 5 derbies consecutively, under Guardiola record-breaking streak concluding with that 5-0 versus Mourinho’s team, and it was not repeated. This past weekend, Madrid ended the coach’s perfect record as manager, defeating Barcelona 2-1 to go a significant margin ahead at the top of the table.

Significance

Madrid required this. Their post-match joy said so, team members dancing in circles. So did the crowd’s roar, their stadium more vocal and intense compared to on a clásico day for years: “amazing,” the English midfielder called it. Manager Xabi Alonso said so too. When questioned if this was a weight off his shoulders, if there had been a psychosis around big games, a fixation, he shot back: “That’s you lot’s thing.” But he did admit that the result represented “more than three points, and our recent history and what it means to us; the boys needed the experience of winning a big game.”

Last season Madrid failed to secure a win any. Fourteen times they were defeated: French side, Italian club, Liverpool, Bilbao, Espanyol, Betis, Atlético, Valencia and Arsenal each defeated them. There wasn’t one victory against a truly big side. The previous manager went and succeeded by Alonso yet the trend persisted. The team secured several victories at the Club World Cup, signs of tactical organization developing, an idea, however then came Paris Saint Germain.

Current Campaign

That belongs to the prior year, Alonso stated. Yet the next season, his season, began with six wins in a row before Atlético came and scored five against them. The results were positive defeating Oviedo, island team and Pamplona side however, against the big teams? Finally they had beaten one of them as well. Moreover it wasn’t just that Madrid won, but also the manner they achieved it.

The opposition were missing out: backup keeper, Gavi, Dani Olmo, star striker and Andreas Christensen were all missing. So too the winger, whose significance might now be fully recognised by his absence. Others were not at 100%, Jules Koundé and Lamine Yamal included. On the bench they had five players who hadn’t started in La Liga, others who had started only once; teenagers, four 18-year-olds and two who are nineteen. Plus defender, Ronald Araújo, who ended it up front again. Even head coach was missing, Flick suspended and stuck in a radio cabin. Marcus Sorg, Sorg, was in the dugout three times: he has lost all of them.

Game Breakdown

Much is made of Barcelona’s vulnerable high line, but their offense struggled effectively on Sunday. Of all the things that were said at the young player that day, maybe the most revealing came from the Brazilian mid-match, taunting the teenager by saying: “You’re all retreating balls.” Regarding that backline, leakier than before after the defender departing, defensive intensity on passers decreasing and coordination off, Levante created six clear chances versus Barcelona, another team five, Andalusian side 5, Catalan club three. Previously they trapped the French forward in an offside position on multiple occasions in a high-scoring game; yet, lost amid losses, is the fact in the last meeting he scored a hat-trick, Real Madrid always likely to get opportunities now.

Decisive Actions

With this approach, in particular. The match served as a start as well as a significant result. “In the future we will require a lot of our performance in this game,” Alonso commented. They put shots result in goals five times – three ruled out for offside – missed {a penalty|a spot-kick