Real Madrid triumphs convincingly over Barcelona

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter! Our focus today is on the analysis of the following game:

⚽Super Cup: Real Madrid vs Barcelona

Real Madrid has now secured a total of 13 Super Copa titles with the victory over arch-rival Barcelona. With another win, they would be on par with Barcelona, which has already triumphed 14 times. For Xavi Hernandez's team, this defeat was tough but not entirely unexpected, considering the form in their recent games. Let's take a closer look at the game analysis:

Xavi adjusted his starting lineup based on the form of the players and the opponent, Real Madrid. He positioned Araujo as a full-back to control the agile and fast Vinicius. This tactic has proven effective in past Clasicos, as Araujo himself is quick and physically strong. In the midfield, he benched Joao Felix and instead opted for Roberto. This could indicate that he aimed for more stability with this change, as Roberto is considered a safer player, while Felix tends to take more risks and often seeks one-on-one situations.

Perhaps this was a reaction to the inadequate spacing between defense, midfield, and the opponent in the previous games. He initially kept the agile and young Yamal on the bench, opting to play the more experienced Torres, who, however, does not possess the same one-on-one skills.

In contrast, Real Madrid chose not to include the delicate technician Modric in their starting lineup. With Kroos and Tchouameni, Ancelotti had two similar players who contribute defensively and provide stability. The physically strong and versatile Valverde was a perfect fit for the game, especially considering that Barcelona is physically inferior to Real Madrid.

It is known that Ancelotti prefers a balanced tactic. His team appears stable and excels at taking calculated risks. Their tactical orientation is extremely flexible, and they master initiating both high pressing and midfield pressing at the right moments, occasionally opting to drop deep. With two lightning-fast players upfront, they favor quick transition moments to create chaos.

In this regard, Xavi's team is less flexible. His philosophy is to defend aggressively and high regardless of the opponent, which hasn't been particularly successful this season. They utilize transition moments less for quick counter-attacks and more to retain possession, cleanly restarting the action. In comparison to Real Madrid, they less frequently seek depth and direct play towards the goal.

In possession, Real Madrid showcased a variable 4-2-2-2 or 4-2-4 formation. Positions were constantly shifting, with a notable absence of a traditional striker in the center between Barcelona's center-backs. This approach has both advantages and disadvantages.

However, Barcelona struggled with the offensive versatility. Bellingham played a crucial role, enjoying a lot of freedom under Ancelotti. His instinct to occupy the right spaces at the right moment was crucial. Kroos and Tchouameni acted as defensive anchors, providing stability and directing the build-up play. One of them regularly dropped between the center-backs to create numerical superiority against Pedri and Lewandowski.

When Bellingham dropped back, either Rodrigo or Vinicius, depending on the action, often moved into the center. The players actively thought on the field, not only considering the opponents but also their own teammates. Real Madrid displayed an impressive variety in attack in this game, making them an extremely challenging opponent.

An example that particularly illustrates this well and led to the 1-0 goal: Rodrygo seamlessly sprinted to the opposite wing after a dribble. Simultaneously, Vinicius moved into the center to create space for Rodrygo and occupy the open area. The Madrid players could position themselves cleverly in the spaces between. Tchouameni, situated between Pedri and Lewandowski, and Bellingham, perfectly positioned between the center-backs and the two central midfielders.

This posed uncomfortable decisions for the defenders: If they left Bellingham free, he could receive the ball and turn. If they marked him closely, it created space in the back four. Christensen hesitated initially, giving Bellingham the opportunity to control the ball and assess the situation. When Christensen eventually closed in, he left his position, creating a significant gap in the defense that Vinicius successfully exploited, scoring the 1-0 after an outstanding pass from Bellingham.

Barcelona attempted to lure the opponent into the offside trap with a high defensive line, but it only rarely worked on that evening. Xavi's team, defending in a 4-4-2 formation, had struggled this season with the high defensive line and the distances between the midfield and defense.

The absence of Gavi is also clearly felt. While in the last Clásico he was specifically responsible for marking Bellingham and did so relatively successfully, in this game, Bellingham had the opportunity to unfold very freely. It raises the question of whether Xavi is willing to adapt his defensive principles, as they may not be optimally executable with the current set of players.

In the offensive phase, Barcelona positioned themselves in their usual 3-2-2-3 or 3-2-5 formation when in possession. However, Real Madrid was aware that Barcelona is not as dangerous on the wings since the departure of Dembele and effectively closed down the center.

Compared to Barcelona, Real Madrid maintained a compact and close formation around Barcelona's four midfielders. The talented Pedri, who is currently working on regaining form after an injury, was frequently disrupted early by Kroos. While Xavi's team could often circulate the ball, they rarely posed a real threat. In contrast to Madrid, they too infrequently sought depth, making their play very predictable. The ball was passed around, giving Madrid the opportunity to shift well and close down spaces effectively.

This is, of course, also related to the fact that with Lewandowski, there is no player with exceptional speed; he needs to be fed the ball in the penalty area. Torres has occasionally sought depth but lacks the quality of his predecessor, Dembélé. On the other hand, Balde also contributes to the attack. However, he needs to minimize the risk since he is usually positioned as a full-back.

After an outstanding run by Rodrigo, who didn't simply sprint straight but skillfully curved his path to avoid the offside, Carvajal played a precise, long pass into the open space behind the defense. Rodrigo then ran alone towards the goal and subsequently squared the ball to the sprinting Vinicius, who scored his second goal of the evening.

After the 2-0, Real Madrid slowed down, giving Barcelona more possession. This led to Real Madrid's deep and relatively passive defending in this phase, resulting in a goal by Lewandowski, making it 2-1 and adding excitement back to the game.

The conceded goal shook Real Madrid, and they became more active again. Shortly after, they combined skillfully and increasingly pushed Barcelona back into their own half. This eventually led to a precise cross from Tchouameni, with defender Araujo stopping Vinicius only through a foul. This gave Vinicius the opportunity to complete his hat-trick with a converted penalty.

However, it was interesting to examine the origin of this situation where Tchouameni had enough time to deliver the ball. In the replay, it becomes clear that a misunderstanding or lack of organization between Roberto and Balde led to Tchouameni having so much time and space. The advanced Carvajal was completely unmarked on the right side, and it is apparent how Roberto communicated with Balde to stand wider. Instead, Roberto assumed that position himself, leaving Tchouameni to cross undisturbed. A misunderstanding that was punished with a conceded goal.

With this scoreline, both teams headed into halftime. There were no changes in either team for the second half. Real Madrid started a bit more passively, initially aiming for a more stable and secure position to avoid conceding an early goal in the second half. It was clear that Xavi's team would eventually have to open up completely and take risks during the game. In this context, the quick players and high efficiency of Real could be extremely dangerous. While Barcelona had possession in the second half, they created hardly any chances.

Hence, in the 60th minute, Xavi decided to take more risks and introduced Felix, Yamal, and Lopez. All substitutions were players known for their strength in one-on-one situations and their direct approach towards the goal. However, it was evident that they would usually neglect their defensive duties to some extent. Xavi's plan, however, did not work out.

So, it took only three minutes after the substitutions for Real Madrid to score the 4-1 through a quick counter-attack following a lost ball by Felix deep in the Barcelona half. That was definitely the decisive blow for Barcelona. The remaining minutes were characterized by desperation and nervousness from the Barcelona players. Thus, the game ended with a clear defeat for Xavi's team.

At this time, it is rather unlikely that Barcelona will part ways with Xavi after this game. However, it is clearly evident that Barcelona is going through a form crisis, and the defeat was by no means incidental. In comparison to Real Madrid, Barcelona's gameplay appears one-dimensional, emphasizing their predictability. In the past, players like Messi or Dembele could shine with moments of surprise, but now it seems that hardly anyone is capable of making that difference.

Perhaps it is time to adapt Barcelona's proud playing philosophy to the demands of modern football. This doesn't necessarily require radical changes but rather the realization that the playing style practiced for years, perfected by an outstanding generation and exceptional players like Messi or Busquets, cannot be easily reproduced by the new Barcelona players. Instead, the focus should be on developing an adjusted playing philosophy that relies on the qualities of the current players.

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