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It was practically an ideal day from Xabi Alonso's squad, as they beat their arch-rivals by a 2-1 scoreline in the Clasico and extend their lead at the summit in La Liga with a five-point cushion.

Jude Bellingham notched his first domestic strike and key pass of the season following a challenging spell coming back from a shoulder operation.

Kylian Mbappe showed his clinical form in front of goal, while the manager's strategy in his first El Clasico as coach functioned like a charm.

Yet the Vinicius Junior question reared its head yet again.

Unhappy at coming off, Vinicius complained on his way straight past his manager before marched off the pitch, then returning on the sidelines after a short while.

Manager's Approach Gets Positive Outcomes from the Midfielder

For a debut Clasico, this wasn't a bad one, given that seven of Real's previous eight bosses lost their debut La Liga match with Barcelona.

After the laissez-faire style of Carlo Ancelotti fell short in the previous campaign, Alonso's positional game-model delivered a significant outcome.

An expert noted, His plan was perfect. Real Madrid performed excellently, and Barcelona struggled due to Madrid's tactics.”

“Without the ball, they pushed up consistently, and when bypassed, they fell back with discipline, all players even Vinicius.”

“They defended with two banks with a gap of 5-10 meters. The opposition struggled to penetrate.”

The tactical change seems beneficial for Bellingham, as he previously was expected to cover multiple roles in midfield and additional duties.

In the lineup Bellingham was positioned on the right, but actually he was allowed to come inside and either link with Mbappe or enter the box.

Balague stated, “By using Eduardo Camavinga in the middle, you get greater energy and additional options to shut down the channels.”

“That forced them to put Jude on the right-hand side. Undoubtedly his role included to track the forward's positioning when he had the ball and had space, and he found him a few times.”

His instructions included to enter the area and position himself near the edge of the box, his most effective zone. He also drifted in to block central spaces and make Barca's task tough.”

Strained Relations Revealed

There's no doubting that Madridistas love Vinicius, calls for him rang out multiple times by the passionate Madrid fans.

Yet multiple countless reports over the past period that Real Madrid could entertain selling him if the right offer were to come in.

The winger has one year remaining on his deal come the end of the season, but discussions on a renewal are at a standstill.

Vinicius' behavior after coming off late in the game indicated tension. When the match ended, he had to be restrained when he moved toward the Barcelona player.

The expert said, Many will criticize him and justifiably, as it demonstrated disrespect toward his replacement who came on for him.”

Yet, growing up, he has existed in a hostile world, and he believes that he faces opposition.”

Such thinking is difficult to shake, particularly since you believe on the verge of the top star, then the club drives the axis to Mbappe as the star.”

During this campaign he believes that the organization isn't protecting him. Reports suggest, perhaps from within, or unchallenged by officials, that they would be open a bid of a quarter-billion euros for his transfer and sell him.”

He is aware of this, and when he was taken off – reasonably, as he ceased tracking back as required – to him he questions ‘why me, why me again?.”

Building bridges will be tough to mend relations with the club and him currently.”

Barcelona Style “Falls Apart”

After winning each of the recent derbies, this outing highlighted their uncertain start to the campaign.

Injuries have robbed the Barcelona coach of key players such as Raphinha, Lewandowski and Olmo, and the tactical setup is failing when they are missing.

Balague stated, Barcelona appear are slightly off when not in possession, with less desire to win it back, with reduced intensity to reclaim the ball.”

They are more vulnerable to create chances against them. Should the defense is not perfect, which was the case the Mbappe goal since the defender played him onside, they receive little support by teammates not challenging those on the ball as well as they should.”

Yamal, the main threat in previous meetings, was neutralized.

Key players weren't at their best. The youngster doesn't feel like he's in good form, perhaps he's suffering from injury issues