Three talking points from Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona

Saturday’s El Clasico was far from the game Real Madrid hoped to enjoy over their arch-rivals.

Barcelona arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu fresh off a win over Bayern Munich, one which was special to the club as it left them unshackled from the ghosts of Europe.

Hansi Flick’s men continued on the same run of form and completely busted Real Madrid with a humiliating 4-0 scoreline as Carlo Ancelotti’s side were completely outplayed in the second period.

Playing at the Madrid-based side’s den, Robert Lewandowski scored a brace while Lamine Yamal and Raphinha scored Golazos to establish the dominant scoreline.

Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona.

Battered and busted

To go down at the Santiago Bernabeu in itself is a rarity for Real Madrid. To go down against Barcelona is humiliating and to go down by four goals is simply an embarrassment of the highest level.

What unfolded last night at the Bernabeu was a ripping apart of the hosts at the highest level and Real Madrid had simply no chance against the visitors.

The game was equally fought for the better part of the first half. While Barcelona had the possession, it did not come without the hosts enjoying their chances.

As the half progressed, however, Real Madrid slowly fizzled out and the game turned around on its head after the break. With a few tactical adjustments, Flick decoded Real Madrid’s shortcomings and exposed them on the big stage.

After the half-time whistle, there was simply no contest as Barcelona broke down Real Madrid’s defence with ease. Defence-splitting passes, counterattacks, balls played over the top – the Catalans used a variety of methods to break the hosts open.

It is not every day that Real Madrid loses a game, but to get battered to this extent by the one team they despise the most is simply unacceptable. They were outclassed, outplayed and outdone with no excuses.

No answers to the gaping hole

Carlo Ancelotti’s tactics against Barcelona were well-known even before the game kicked off last night. With Hansi Flick’s side deploying a high defensive line, it was always clear that the hosts’ plan would be to capitalise on the same.

From the get-go, Los Blancos stuck to the same plan that was much-anticipated and looked to play the ball beyond the Catalans’ defence from deep positions. However, they failed to capitalise for a plethora of reasons.

For starters, Barcelona’s defence was extra-ordinarily disciplined and well-drilled in maintaining the offside trap.

Every time the hosts looked to push the ball forward, the defenders ensured to step forward and play the man making the run offside and the Real Madrid players simply struggled to decipher the code.

Kylian Mbappe found himself offside time and time again as he simply could not time his runs to perfection. Considering that his raw pace was superior to the Barcelona defenders, it is astounding that a player of his quality could not break down the defensive wall.

On the few occasions, he made it through, the Frenchman was poor in front of the goal as could not beat Inaki Pena. When he did find the back of the net, he was offside.

Vinicius Jr., the team’s second outlet in attack, was well-controlled by Jules Kounde and recorded no shots on target, only created one big chance, made one key pass and completed just one dribble against the Blaugrana.

Despite having the chance to capitalise on the high line in theory, Real Madrid had no answers to the opportunity presented to them. In the end, it turned out to be the factor that worked out the best in Barcelona’s favour.

Where do Real Madrid go from here?

Real Madrid’s performances have been worrying all season and the defeat in El Clasico was always coming.

The win over Borussia Dortmund midweek gave reason to believe and the momentum of the comeback win was expected to be enough to see the Merengues through. However, it was far from the case as the better side simply conquered and won.

The question that Real Madrid and Ancelotti must answer after the heavy defeat, thus, is simply – where does the team go from here?

Humbled in their own backyard, Real Madrid’s dressing room has suffered a massive blow after the latest defeat and it remains to be seen what impact it has on their momentum and confidence.

The calendar, however, gives them little time to recover as they face Valencia, AC Milan and Osasuna in their next three games, all within three days of each other. Should their poor form continue, there could be serious repercussions in La Liga and the UCL.

Ancelotti is thus forced to answer some crucial questions, especially over the team’s poor showing on the field in a tactical sense. The chemistry between Vinicius and Mbappe is far from perfect, with the Frenchman acting more as a burden than an outlet.

Solving the Mbappe puzzle and extracting the best out of him is the key to the team’s success. But again, there are big questions over the lack of creativity in midfield and the gaping holes in defence.

With their unbeaten streak in La Liga broken at the doorstep of history, the Merengues have been humbled and it will be interesting to see how they pick up.