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This proved to be almost a flawless day from the Madrid side, as they beat their arch-rivals two goals to one in the Clasico and stretch the gap at the top of the Spanish league to five points.

The English midfielder scored his first goal in the league and key pass this term after a difficult few months healing from surgery on his shoulder.

Kylian Mbappe maintained his clinical performance in front of goal, and the manager's strategy in his inaugural Clasico on the sidelines functioned perfectly.

However the Vinicius Junior question emerged again another time.

Frustrated at coming off, Vinicius protested while walking directly past the coach and headed down the tunnel, then reappearing to the substitute area later.

Alonso System Gets Success for the Midfielder

In his first derby, this wasn't a bad one, considering seven of Madrid's previous eight coaches were defeated in their debut league match against their rivals.

After the player-focused approach of Carlo Ancelotti failed to get results earlier, the new tactical system delivered a significant outcome.

An expert observed, The strategy worked brilliantly. The home side were very good, while Barca didn't play well due to what Real Madrid were doing.”

Defensively, they pushed up consistently, if overcome, they tracked back in an organised way, everybody including Vinicius.”

“They defended in two lines with a gap of a short distance. Barcelona could not find a way through.”

This approach appears to be beneficial for Bellingham, who previously had been tasked to carry the midfield in the engine room and beyond.

In the lineup Bellingham was positioned on the right, but actually he was allowed to drift inward and either assist the attack or crash the penalty area.

The expert stated, Employing the French midfielder in the center, this provides greater energy and better ability to shut down the spaces.”

This led to them to put Bellingham wide right. Certainly his role included to track the runs of Mbappe on the ball with room, connecting with him repeatedly.”

“He was asked to enter the area and operate on the outskirts of the area, where he is very dangerous. He also came inside to cut off passing options and make Barcelona's life very difficult.”

Vinicius Tensions Laid Bare

Undoubtedly that supporters love Vinicius, calls for him were sung on several occasions by a fervent Bernabeu crowd.

Yet recently there were various accounts in recent months that Real Madrid would consider letting him leave should a suitable bid arrived.

Vinicius has one year remaining on his deal when this term concludes, yet discussions on a renewal have not progressed.

His response after coming off in the second half suggested tension. After the full-time whistle, he had to be restrained as he tried to approach the Barcelona player.

Balague said, Many will criticize him for good reason, since it displayed poor sportsmanship toward his replacement who came on for him.”

However, from a young age, he has lived amid adversity, and he believes that he faces opposition.”

This mindset is tough to overcome, notably when you believe close to being the best player, but the team shifts the focus towards Mbappe as the star.”

During this campaign he's felt that the organization is not defending him. There are stories, perhaps from within, or with the club not denying it, that they would be open if someone paid €250 million for him and let him go.”

He is aware of this, and when he was taken off – reasonably, because Vinicius stopped dropping back as required – to him he thinks ‘why me, why me again?.”

“It will be difficult to build a bridge among the parties and Vinicius now.”

Their System “Struggles”

Having triumphed in all four of previous campaign's derbies, the latest display was emblematic of Barcelona's unconvincing beginning of the season.

Absences have left without the manager of key players including Raphinha, Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, and the tactical setup is not effective when they are missing.

The expert said, “It's like the whole team are slightly off when not in possession, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive to get the possession back.”

“It's easier to break them down. When the backline is not organized, which was the case the first goal because Alejandro Balde failed to step up, they are not helped from the attack not challenging the ball-carrier as well as they should.”

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

“Their stars weren't at their best. The youngster seems not he's in good form, perhaps he's suffering from a groin issue