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This proved to be almost a perfect day for the Madrid side, who beat Barca by a 2-1 scoreline in the Clasico to increase their lead in first place of the domestic championship with a five-point cushion.

The English midfielder notched his maiden domestic strike and assist this term after a tough spell recovering from surgery on his shoulder.

The French forward maintained his lethal form when scoring, and the coach's game plan during his debut derby on the sidelines worked perfectly.

Yet the issue surrounding Vinicius came to the forefront yet again.

Unhappy with coming off, the star forward protested while walking straight past the coach and marched down the tunnel, then reappearing to the substitute area after a short while.

Tactical Setup Delivers Success for the Midfielder

For a debut Clasico, Alonso did well, considering the majority of Madrid's recent managers were defeated in their first La Liga encounter against Barcelona.

Following the relaxed style under Ancelotti failed to get results earlier, Alonso's positional game-model yielded a significant outcome.

A specialist noted, “He got it spot on. Madrid performed excellently, and the visitors were off-color because of what Real Madrid were doing.”

Defensively, they pressed high as much as possible, and if they were beaten, they fell back in an organised way, everybody even Vinicius.”

The team's shape in two layers with a gap of 5-10 meters. Barcelona struggled to penetrate.”

The tactical change seems positive for Bellingham, who last season was essentially asked to do everything in the center and more.

On paper the young star played on the right, however he had the freedom to drift inward and support Mbappe or enter the box.

The expert added, With Eduardo Camavinga in central midfield, this provides more dynamism and more ways to close down the channels.”

As a result them to deploy Bellingham on the right-hand side. Certainly he was instructed to track Mbappe's movements on the ball and found openings, and he found him on several occasions.”

His instructions included to get into the box and position himself near just outside the box, where he poses a threat. He also drifted in to close the inside channels and cause Barca's task challenging.”

Strained Relations Laid Bare

Undoubtedly that supporters are fond of the Brazilian, his name was chanted on several occasions by an enthusiastic Madrid fans.

But there have been countless reports over the past period that Los Blancos might think about letting him leave should a suitable bid was made.

Vinicius will have one year remaining on his deal at the end of the campaign, yet talks over a new deal have not progressed.

The player's reaction after coming off with 20 minutes left spoke of tension. Post-game, he had to be restrained when he moved toward Lamine Yamal.

The expert commented, Many will criticize him and justifiably, because it showed disrespect toward his replacement who came on for him.”

However, from a young age, his life has been amid adversity, and he feels that everyone is against him.”

This mindset is tough to overcome, especially when you believe close to being the best player, then the club redirects attention to Mbappe as the main man.”

Recently he's felt that the club is not defending him. There are stories, potentially club-sourced, or unchallenged by officials, that they would be open an offer worth 250m euros for his transfer and sell him.”

“He feels all that, and after the coach substituted him – justifiably, since he wasn't defending as he should – in Vinicius' head he questions why always me?.”

It may be challenging to build a bridge with the club and Vinicius now.”

Their System “Falls Apart”

Having triumphed in all four of last season's Clasicos, Sunday's performance was emblematic of Barcelona's unconvincing early form.

Absences have robbed the manager of important stars including the Brazilian winger, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, and his system is not effective when they are missing.

The expert commented, “It's like the whole team are slightly off without the ball, with less desire to win it back, with reduced intensity to reclaim the ball.”

Opponents find it simpler to create chances against them. When the backline is flawed, as it wasn't Mbappe's strike as Balde played him onside, they receive little support from the attack failing to press the ball-carrier adequately.”

The young talent, the main threat in previous meetings, was well contained.

“Their stars weren't at their best. Lamine seems not he is at his best, perhaps he's suffering from a groin issue