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This proved to be almost a perfect outing from the Madrid side, who beat Barcelona by a 2-1 scoreline during the famous derby to extend their advantage at the summit of the Spanish league to five points.

Jude Bellingham scored his maiden goal in the league and setup this term after a difficult period healing from surgery on his shoulder.

Mbappe showed his deadly touch when scoring, while the manager's strategy in his first El Clasico on the sidelines functioned perfectly.

However the Brazilian's situation reared its head yet again.

Frustrated at his substitution, Vinicius protested as he walked straight past the coach before headed down the tunnel, then reappearing on the sidelines after a short while.

Tactical Setup Delivers Positive Outcomes for the Midfielder

In his first derby, this wasn't a bad one, given that seven of Madrid's previous eight bosses lost their first league match against Barcelona.

Following the player-focused style of Carlo Ancelotti did not deliver in the previous campaign, Alonso's positional game-model yielded an important victory.

An expert commented, The strategy worked brilliantly. Madrid were impressive, and Barca didn't play well because of Madrid's tactics.”

Defensively, they pressed high for as long as they could, and when bypassed, they fell back in a structured manner, everybody including Vinicius.”

The team's shape in two lines with a gap of a short distance. Barcelona could not find a way through.”

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

In the lineup the young star was positioned on the right, but actually he could to drift inward and either support Mbappe or crash the penalty area.

Balague stated, Employing the French midfielder in central midfield, you get increased movement and more ways to close down the spaces.”

“That forced them to put Jude on the right-hand side. I'm sure he was instructed to monitor the runs of Mbappe when he had the ball with room, and he found him repeatedly.”

His instructions included to enter the area and operate on just outside the box, where he is very dangerous. Additionally, he moved centrally to close the inside channels and cause Barcelona's life very difficult.”

Conflict Issues Laid Bare

Undoubtedly that the fans love Vinicius, his name rang out multiple times by the passionate Madrid fans.

Yet there have been various accounts lately that the club might think about allowing his departure if an attractive proposal were to come in.

The winger has one season to go on his deal at the end of the campaign, but negotiations for an extension have stalled.

His response to being replaced late in the game indicated tension. Post-game, he was held back as he attempted to confront Yamal.

The expert commented, Many will criticize him and justifiably, as it demonstrated disrespect for Rodrygo who replaced him.”

“But since being a kid, his life has been in a hostile world, and perceives that everyone is against him.”

This mindset is tough to overcome, particularly since you feel near the best player, then the club shifts the focus to Mbappe as the main man.”

Recently he's felt that Real Madrid isn't protecting him. There are stories, perhaps from within, or with the club not denying it, that they would be open if someone paid a quarter-billion euros to sign him and allow him to leave.”

This affects him, so when the coach substituted him – reasonably, because Vinicius stopped dropping back as expected – to him he says why single me out?’.”

It may be challenging to mend relations with the club and the player now.”

Barca's Approach “Falls Apart”

Having triumphed in each of the last season's derbies, this outing represented their uncertain beginning of the season.

Injuries have robbed the Barcelona coach of key players such as Raphinha, the striker and Dani Olmo, and the tactical setup isn't working in their absence.

The analyst said, Barcelona appear lack sharpness without the ball, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive in pressing.”

“It's easier to break them down. If the defensive line is not perfect, which was the case the Mbappe goal as Balde kept him onside, the midfield doesn't assist by teammates not closing down those on the ball as well as they should.”

Yamal, tormentor-in-chief in previous meetings, was neutralized.

Key players weren't at their best. The youngster doesn't feel like he is at his best, perhaps he's suffering from injury issues