Analysing the highs and lows of Barcelona’s 2-3 defeat against Real Madrid

Real Madrid secured a narrow 3-2 victory against Barcelona, but the match was overshadowed by significant controversies and questionable refereeing decisions.

Although Barcelona appeared stronger on paper, they could not secure the win and effectively lost their chance to defend their La Liga title.

Despite setting aside the contentious calls, the match was marred by several glaring mistakes, which are uncommon at this level. 

These errors significantly affected the outcome, leaving Barcelona with a defeat in a game they should have won. Let’s explore the reasons behind Barcelona’s loss in this important Clasico match.

A midfield that could not match Madrid

In the midfield, Xavi, started with Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan facing off against Real Madrid’s duo Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. 

However, Xavi had to make adjustments due to de Jong’s injury, bringing in Pedri and Fermin instead, which altered Barcelona’s strategy.

Barcelona’s midfield suffered against Real Madrid.

Due to De Jong’s injury, Xavi had to make some adjustments to the team. At halftime, he brought on Pedri to replace the injured player, and Fermin took over for Andreas Christensen, which led to a reduction in the height advantage.

Later on, Ferran Torres was moved into a false nine role, and Joao Felix shifted to the left-back position.

Barcelona’s pressure and strategy 

Barcelona displayed a high-pressing strategy, aligning players across all levels of the pitch. 

Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha positioned themselves against Real Madrid’s centre-backs, while Joao Cancelo and Lamine Yamal pressed against the fullbacks. 

Barcelona’s midfielders engaged Real Madrid’s midfield, and Christensen focused on marking Jude Bellingham. 

Barcelona played a high-pressing game vs Real Madrid.

This pressing approach helped Barcelona control the first half of the match, with the team making five successful recoveries in Real Madrid’s half within the first 18 minutes. One…

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Author : Alex Delmas

Publish date : 2024-04-23 12:46:49

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