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This proved to be nearly a flawless performance for Xabi Alonso's squad, who defeated Barcelona 2-1 in El Clasico to stretch their lead at the summit of La Liga to five points.

Jude Bellingham got his maiden goal in the league and setup this term following a challenging few months recovering from surgery on his shoulder.

Mbappe continued his clinical form in attack, and the manager's strategy in his inaugural El Clasico as coach functioned perfectly.

Yet the Vinicius Junior question emerged again another time.

Dissatisfied at coming off, Vinicius complained while walking right by the coach and headed down the tunnel, then returning to the bench after a short while.

Manager's Approach Gets Positive Outcomes for the Midfielder

For a debut Clasico, Alonso did well, considering seven of Real's recent managers were defeated in their first league meeting against their rivals.

After the player-focused approach under Ancelotti fell short earlier, the new tactical system delivered a significant outcome.

A specialist observed, The strategy worked brilliantly. The home side were impressive, and Barcelona struggled due to Madrid's tactics.”

When not in possession, they applied pressure for as long as they could, and when bypassed, they tracked back with discipline, everybody even Vinicius.”

“They defended in two lines separated by 5-10 meters. Barca could not find a way through.”

The tactical change looks to be beneficial for Bellingham, who previously was expected to carry the midfield in the engine room and more.

In the lineup the young star played on the right, however he was allowed to move centrally and assist the attack or crash the penalty area.

The analyst stated, Employing Eduardo Camavinga in the middle, this provides more dynamism and more ways to shut down the passing lanes.”

This led to the team to position Jude wide right. I'm sure he was instructed to keep an eye on the forward's positioning on the ball and found openings, connecting with him on several occasions.”

He was told to get into the box and be around the edge of the box, where he poses a threat. Additionally, he moved centrally to cut off passing options creating Barcelona's life tough.”

Strained Relations Laid Bare

There's no doubting that the fans are fond of the Brazilian, his chant was chanted multiple times by an enthusiastic Madrid fans.

However recently there were countless reports lately that the club could entertain allowing his departure if the right offer were to come in.

The winger has one year remaining on his deal come the end of the season, but talks over a new deal have stalled.

Vinicius' behavior when substituted with 20 minutes left suggested tension. When the match ended, he had to be restrained when he moved toward the Barcelona player.

The expert said, Many will criticize him and rightly so, because it showed poor sportsmanship toward his replacement who replaced him.”

However, from a young age, he has lived in a hostile world, and perceives that the world is hostile.”

This mindset is hard to change, particularly since you feel close to being the best player, but the team redirects attention towards Mbappe as the key figure.”

“This season he believes that the organization has not supported him. Reports suggest, perhaps from within, or not denied by the club, that they wouldn't be unhappy an offer worth a quarter-billion euros to sign him and allow him to leave.”

This affects him, and when Alonso subbed him – fairly, because Vinicius stopped dropping back as he should – in Vinicius' head he says why single me out?’.”

It may be challenging to reconcile between the club and Vinicius now.”

Their System “Struggles”

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

Injuries have robbed the manager of key players such as the Brazilian winger, the striker plus others, and his system is failing when they are missing.

The expert commented, “It's like the whole team lack sharpness without the ball, less hungry to recover it, with reduced intensity to reclaim the ball.”

They are more vulnerable to break them down. If the defensive line is not perfect, which was the case the Mbappe goal because Alejandro Balde failed to step up, the midfield doesn't assist by the midfield and forwards not closing down the ball-carrier as expected.”

Lamine Yamal, tormentor-in-chief earlier, was kept largely in check.

The big names did not perform well. The youngster appears he's in good form, perhaps he's suffering from injury issues