Real Madrid and Barcelona were virtually inseparable heading into El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu. Both teams were levelled on 77 points at the top of La Liga, with the Merengues given the honour to occupy the summit by having just a +1 better goal difference than the Blaugrana.
Yet, the difference between the two teams when they went head to head on the pitch was clear for all to see.
Despite splashing out a ludicrous amount of money in the summer, Madrid are still no closer to catching Barcelona than they were a year ago. Every time the ‘Casa Blanca’ think that they are ready to challenge and rival Barca, the Catalan juggernauts just pull out another gear and leave the ‘Men In White’ trailing in their wake.
It was hardly a classic Clasico on Saturday night, with both teams fighting a scrappy battle in midfield and neither giving the other an inch of space to work. But that’s how it’s got to be when you desperately need to stop the hex-champions.
Clear cut chances were limited with just 11 shots on target. And if there’s one department that Madrid did put one over their eternal enemies, it was that they mustered seven attempts at goal compared to Barca’s four. But therein lies the first key difference between the two teams.
Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael van der Vaart all had one-on-one chances with Victor Valdes but none of them could apply the finish. On the other side of the pitch, Lionel Messi and Pedro took the very first chances on goal they had with clinical aplomb.
What’s puzzling was that the Madrid trio didn’t really force a jaw-dropping, acrobatic save out of Valdes. The Barca custodian made three hugely vital saves, no question, but they were all soft shots on goal with little placement and accuracy. And that seems to be another of Madrid’s problems: lack of confidence.
Manuel Pellegrini’s troops seem to be stricken with fear when they take on the big teams, as if they are afraid to play with swagger, as if they feel pressured to take a more conservative approach. While being cautious is always beneficial, Madrid often look too tentative and nervous when they try to play it safe and as a result, their passes go astray, their link-up play starts to falter, and their forwards miss chances that they would otherwise bury with authority.
The confidence levels at Barca and Madrid are just worlds apart at present, despite both teams notching up win after win in the league to boost morale and keep pace with one another. The Catalans rarely change their style to accommodate their opponents but in the event that they do, they can still play with effortless ease and comfort. But the capital giants do not exude the same self-belief and assurance when they are taken out of their comfort zone.
Madrid to their credit, did try to give the Blaugrana a taste of their own medicine by constantly employing two, sometimes three players to hustle their opponents off the ball. But Pep Guardiola’s men have such impeccable understanding and cohesion with each other that they can wriggle themselves out of trouble by playing a blind pass backwards or sideways, safe in the knowledge that a team-mate will be there to collect the ball.
Every time Madrid tried that, they just lost possession as no one appears to be in sync with one another.
A good case in point was a counter attack that they launched late in the first half when they successfully cleared a Barca corner. Marcelo bore down on goal but forced onto his weaker right foot, he opted to spray the ball out wide to Ronaldo, who had just darted a step forward and couldn’t recover in time to keep it in play.
But even if ‘CR9’ managed to get to the pass, it would have been a futile attacking move as Marcelo had broken up a direct passage of attack by going sideways. Despite Arsenal’s Theo Walcott showing twice in the Champions League that speed and direct play is the only way to expose Barca’s defence, Marcelo failed to pick up on the free lesson.
At the end of the day, Xavi was the difference-maker in the clash. His two glorious through balls split the Madrid defence apart and sent Messi and Pedro on their way to become the heroes. But if it wasn’t for the playmaker genius, chances are Barca would have failed to score as well.
The two players tasked with providing that kind of piercing deliveries for Madrid were Rafael van der Vaart and Xabi Alonso. The Dutchman barely made a meaningful attacking pas while Xabi had to focus his efforts in defending, especially with Fernando Gago chasing shadows for most of the game, and never had much of an influence in attack.
Barcelona will now have a virtual “four point” advantage over Madrid in the standings: three clear points and a superior head-to-head record. But at the back of Saturday’s El Clasico clash, it would appear that the Blaugrana have a limitless advantage over their fierce rivals in almost every department.
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