For 45 minutes, Barcelona was strolling.
Then, Real Madrid woke up. They came within inches of pulling level, but that only served to then wake up the opposition. Thanks to the brilliance of Luis Suárez, Barca then placed another nail in the Real coffin with a crushing 5-1 victory.
Here are four thoughts from the game.
Barcelona still suspect
It’s difficult to criticize Ernesto Valverde’s time as coach of Barcelona. Despite guiding the club out of a crisis to a league and cup double, the improbable elimination from the Champions League dampened what was a near-historic season.
That 3-0 loss to Roma last year highlighted the one flaw during Valverde’s tenure in Catalonia. We saw the same issue on Sunday as well.
Barcelona, despite thoroughly dominating the opening 45 minutes, sat back and allowed Real Madrid to dictate the tempo of the match. Marcelo pulled one back for Los Blancos and were this close to completing a two-goal comeback.
That close! @realmadriden come inches from making it 2-2 but the post turns it away pic.twitter.com/YcJgquq8tC
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) October 28, 2018
Eventually, Suárez bailed out the hosts. But, as evidenced by expected goals (and the 14 shots conceded), Barcelona was on its heels.
It would be understandable to revert to a more pragmatic approach if Barcelona didn’t have the quality to play through Madrid’s press, yet that’s what transpired in the first half. The game could’ve been killed off a lot sooner had Valverde stuck to the original plan.
Sensational Suarez
Without Lionel Messi, Suárez needed to be the protagonist for Barcelona. He certainly played the role, bagging a hat trick in the victory.
Each of his goals was better than the last, too, and it was fitting that Suárez capped off his performance with a Messi-like finish: A cool, calm chip over the onrushing Thibaut Courtois.
Suárez was also heavily involved in the build-up for Barcelona. He drifted across the pitch to stretch Real Madrid’s back line and it clearly worked.
With the Uruguayan in this kind of form, Barcelona will cope without Messi.
Barcelona torches Nacho
Right from the kickoff, it was immediately evident that Barcelona was targeting the left flank.
Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui (more on him later) decided to start Nacho, a natural centre-back, on the right in place of the injured Dani Carvajal. Alvaro Odriozola, a speedy right-back, was available, so it was a curious choice.
Nacho was bizarrely pushing forward and was separated from the rest of Madrid’s defence. That’s uncommon for centre-backs-turned-full-backs because they tend to cede their attacking duties to minimize the defensive risk.
Barcelona, in turn, responded by overloading the left wing.
Jordi Alba was the main catalyst as he constantly latched onto long passes down the wing. The Spanish left-back set up the opening goal, although the pattern didn’t stop after that.
There have been instances when Real Madrid’s coach chooses the “politically correct” lineup to appease the club when he is under pressure. It supposedly happened with Rafa Benitez in the Nov. 2015 Clásico before he was sacked. The same might’ve occurred with Lopetegui on Sunday.
Florentino Pérez to pull the trigger on Lopetegui?
Even before El Clásico, Julen Lopetegui’s fate was reportedly decided. It was just a matter of when he would be fired.
Losing 2-1 to Levante last weekend was supposedly the turning point. The Clásico might be Lopetegui’s last stand.
In a way, it’s very unfortunate. Cristiano Ronaldo was sold, he was not adequately replaced and the World Cup significantly affected pre-season planning. Players were either fatigued or on extended vacations, so they had little time to work with Lopetegui.
That said, Lopetegui’s brief time as a club manager has been underwhelming, whether it was at Rayo Vallecano or Porto before he took the Madrid job. But it’s also true that he was behind the 8-ball almost immediately.
The controversial sacking from the Spain job on the eve of the World Cup probably didn’t boost his popularity among the supporters. Real Madrid’s Spanish players might’ve been negatively swayed as well.
Lopetegui might have made some mistakes, but he’s not the major culprit in Madrid’s slow start to the season.
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