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It was practically an ideal outing from Xabi Alonso's squad, who defeated their arch-rivals 2-1 during the Clasico to increase the gap in first place in the Spanish league with a five-point cushion.

The English midfielder got his inaugural league goal along with setup this term following a challenging spell healing from surgery on his shoulder.

The French forward continued his deadly performance in attack, while the coach's game plan during his debut derby in the dugout functioned brilliantly.

However the Brazilian's situation came to the forefront another time.

Frustrated with coming off, Vinicius protested on his way straight past his manager before headed down the tunnel, then reappearing on the sidelines after a short while.

Tactical Setup Yields Results from Bellingham

As first Clasicos go, Alonso did well, especially since the majority of Madrid's last eight bosses were defeated in their first La Liga encounter with Barca.

Following the laissez-faire approach under Ancelotti fell short earlier, Alonso's positional game-model delivered its first major result.

An expert commented, His plan was perfect. The home side were impressive, and Barca didn't play well due to the home team's approach.”

“Without the ball, they applied pressure for as long as they could, and if they were beaten, they tracked back in a structured manner, everybody even the forward.”

“They defended in two lines with a gap of five to 10 metres. The opposition were unable to break through.”

This approach seems beneficial for Bellingham, as he in the past had been tasked to carry the midfield in the engine room and beyond.

On paper Bellingham played on the right, but in practice he could to come inside and support Mbappe or enter the box.

Balague continued, With Eduardo Camavinga in central midfield, this provides more dynamism and additional options to close down the spaces.”

This led to them to put Jude wide right. I'm sure he was instructed to monitor Mbappe's movements on the ball and had space, and he located him on several occasions.”

His instructions included to get into the box and position himself near the edge of the box, his most effective zone. He also came inside to block central spaces and make the opponent's play tough.”

Vinicius Tensions Exposed

There's no doubting that Madridistas love Vinicius, calls for him was chanted on several occasions by an enthusiastic Madrid fans.

But recently there were numerous stories lately that Real Madrid might think about selling him if an attractive proposal were to come in.

Vinicius has a year left on his deal come the end of the season, yet talks over a new deal have not progressed.

Vinicius' behavior when substituted late in the game indicated tension. When the match ended, teammates intervened as he tried to approach Lamine Yamal.

Balague said, “Everyone will have a go at him and justifiably, as it demonstrated a lack of respect for Rodrygo who came on for him.”

“But since being a kid, he has lived amid adversity, and he feels that the world is hostile.”

“That mentality is hard to change, particularly since you feel on the verge of the best player, and the organization shifts the focus to Mbappe as the main man.”

“This season he believes that the club isn't protecting him. Reports suggest, potentially club-sourced, or with the club not denying it, that they would be open a bid of 250m euros for his transfer and sell him.”

“He feels all that, and when he was taken off – justifiably, since he wasn't defending as required – in his mind he questions ‘why me, why me again?.”

“It will be difficult to build a bridge with the club and the player currently.”

Barca's Approach “Struggles”

After winning all four of recent matches, this outing was emblematic of Barca's shaky beginning of the season.

Injuries have robbed the manager of important stars such as Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski plus others, and the approach isn't working without them.

The expert stated, Barcelona appear is a little bit less sharp without the ball, not as eager to regain possession, less aggressive in pressing.”

They are more vulnerable to break them down. When the backline is not organized, which was the case the Mbappe goal because Alejandro Balde played him onside, they are not helped from the attack not closing down opponents in possession as expected.”

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

Key players weren't at their best. The youngster doesn't feel like he is at his best, possibly because of injury issues