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It was almost a perfect performance from Xabi Alonso's squad, as they overcame their arch-rivals 2-1 during El Clasico and stretch the gap at the summit of the domestic championship by five points.

Jude Bellingham scored his maiden league goal and assist this term following a challenging few months healing from surgery on his shoulder.

Mbappe showed his clinical touch when scoring, while Alonso's tactics in his first El Clasico in the dugout worked perfectly.

Yet the issue surrounding Vinicius reared its head another time.

Dissatisfied at coming off, Vinicius protested while walking straight past Xabi Alonso before stormed to the dressing room, then reappearing to the bench later.

Tactical Setup Yields Results for the Midfielder

In his first derby, this wasn't a bad one, given that seven of Madrid's last eight bosses were defeated in their first league match with their rivals.

Following the relaxed style from the previous coach failed to get results last season, Alonso's positional game-model yielded its first major result.

An expert observed, His plan was perfect. Madrid were very good, and Barca were off-color because of the home team's approach.”

Defensively, they pressed high for as long as they could, if overcome, they fell back in a structured manner, all players including the forward.”

Their defensive setup with two banks spaced by five to 10 metres. The opposition struggled to penetrate.”

The new system looks to be beneficial for Bellingham, as he previously had been tasked to carry the midfield in the center and beyond.

Theoretically Bellingham played on the right, however he was allowed to come inside and either assist the attack or get into scoring positions.

Balague stated, “By using the French midfielder in the center, you get more dynamism and additional options to shut down the spaces.”

This led to the team to deploy Jude on the right-hand side. Certainly he would have been asked to track Mbappe's movements on the ball with room, connecting with him on several occasions.”

He was told to move into the penalty area and position himself near just outside the box, where he is very dangerous. Additionally, he moved centrally to block central spaces and cause Barcelona's life tough.”

Vinicius Tensions Revealed

It's clear that supporters adore Vinicius, his name were sung multiple times by the passionate Bernabeu crowd.

But multiple numerous stories in recent months that Los Blancos would consider allowing his departure should a suitable bid were to come in.

He will have one season to go under his current terms at the end of the campaign, but talks over a new deal have not progressed.

His response after coming off in the second half spoke of strained relations. When the match ended, teammates intervened when he moved toward Yamal.

The expert noted, Many will criticize him for good reason, since it displayed a lack of respect for the substitute who came on for him.”

However, from a young age, he has lived in a challenging environment, and he feels that he faces opposition.”

“That mentality is difficult to shake, especially when you believe on the verge of the top star, but the team redirects attention in favor of Mbappe as the main man.”

“This season he's felt that the organization is not defending him. Reports suggest, perhaps from within, or with the club not denying it, that they wouldn't be unhappy if someone paid 250m euros to sign him and allow him to leave.”

He is aware of this, so when he was taken off – reasonably, because Vinicius stopped dropping back as expected – in Vinicius' head he thinks ‘why me, why me again?.”

Building bridges will be tough to build a bridge with the club and the player currently.”

Their System “Crumbles”

Following victories in each of the last season's derbies, this outing was emblematic of Barcelona's unconvincing early form.

Injuries have left without Hansi Flick of key players such as Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Olmo, and the approach is not effective without them.

The analyst commented, Barcelona appear lack sharpness defensively, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive in pressing.”

Opponents find it simpler to break them down. When the backline is not perfect, which was the case the first goal since the defender kept him onside, they are not helped from the attack not challenging those on the ball as expected.”

The young talent, tormentor-in-chief earlier, was well contained.

“Their stars did not perform well. The youngster appears he is at his best, perhaps he's suffering from a groin issue