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The match represented almost a perfect outing from Real Madrid, as they overcame their arch-rivals two goals to one during El Clasico to increase their advantage in first place in the domestic championship by five points.

The English midfielder got his maiden goal in the league along with setup of the season after a difficult spell coming back from surgery on his shoulder.

Mbappe maintained his clinical touch when scoring, and the manager's strategy during his debut El Clasico on the sidelines functioned perfectly.

However the Vinicius Junior question came to the forefront yet again.

Unhappy at his substitution, the star forward complained on his way straight past the coach before stormed to the dressing room, then returning to the bench later.

Manager's Approach Delivers Positive Outcomes from the Midfielder

In his first derby, this wasn't a bad one, given that seven of Real's last eight managers lost their first La Liga meeting against their rivals.

Following the player-focused approach of Carlo Ancelotti did not deliver in the previous campaign, his structured approach delivered its first major result.

An expert observed, The strategy worked brilliantly. Real Madrid were impressive, and Barca struggled due to Madrid's tactics.”

Defensively, they applied pressure for as long as they could, if overcome, they retreated with discipline, all players including Vinicius.”

Their defensive setup with two banks separated by a short distance. The opposition were unable to break through.”

The new system seems beneficial for Bellingham, who in the past was expected to do everything in the engine room and more.

In the lineup Bellingham played on the right, but in practice he could to drift inward and assist the attack or enter the box.

The analyst stated, Employing Eduardo Camavinga in the middle, you get more dynamism and additional options to shut down the channels.”

“That forced them to put Jude on the right-hand side. I'm sure his role included to track the runs of Mbappe on the ball and had space, and he located him repeatedly.”

“He was asked to get into the box and be around just outside the box, where he is very dangerous. He also came inside to block central spaces creating Barcelona's life challenging.”

Strained Relations Exposed

Undoubtedly that Madridistas love Vinicius, his chant rang out multiple times by an enthusiastic Madrid fans.

But recently there were numerous stories in recent months that the club could entertain allowing his departure should a suitable bid was made.

The winger will have a year left under his current terms when this term concludes, yet talks over a new deal have stalled.

His response to being replaced with 20 minutes left indicated issues. When the match ended, he had to be restrained when he moved toward Lamine Yamal.

The expert commented, “Everyone will have a go at him and justifiably, as it demonstrated a lack of respect for the substitute who replaced him.”

“But since being a kid, he has existed in a challenging environment, and perceives that the world is hostile.”

Such thinking is difficult to shake, especially when you believe on the verge of the top star, but the team drives the axis towards Mbappe as the key figure.”

During this campaign he's felt that Real Madrid is not defending him. There are stories, possibly leaked by the club, or with the club not denying it, that they might accept a bid of a quarter-billion euros for his transfer and allow him to leave.”

This affects him, so when Alonso subbed him – reasonably, because Vinicius stopped dropping back as required – to him he thinks why single me out?’.”

Building bridges will be tough to reconcile with the club and him at the moment.”

Barcelona Style “Struggles”

Following victories in all four of previous campaign's derbies, the latest display represented Barca's shaky beginning of the season.

Injuries have robbed the Barcelona coach of key players such as Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, and the approach is not effective without them.

Balague commented, The squad seems lack sharpness without the ball, with less desire to win it back, less aggressive to reclaim the ball.”

They are more vulnerable to attack them. If the defensive line is not perfect, like on Mbappe's strike since the defender kept him onside, the midfield doesn't assist by the midfield and forwards not challenging the ball-carrier as well as they should.”

Lamine Yamal, who troubled Madrid in previous meetings, was well contained.

The big names weren't at their best. The youngster doesn't feel like he's in good form, perhaps he's suffering from a groin issue