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Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD35
Real Madrid and Barcelona face off at the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday night as part of match day 35 of La Liga – the weekend that could potentially end the title race.
Los Blancos were firmly in the race to compete for La Liga, but their performances after the international break saw them fall significantly behind Barcelona on the points table.
With 11 points between them and just four games to go, there does not appear to be much hope for Alvaro Arbeloa and Co. What they will look to do, however, is fight until the end.
The Catalans enter the game on the back of five straight wins while Real Madrid step in having won just two of their last seven games across all competitions.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Madrid.
Chaos in the dressing room
There is no more apt place to begin a conversation about Real Madrid’s approach to El Clasico than the politics and turmoil inside the dressing room.
Regardless of how vehemently the dressing room speak out to hide the news or to insist that it will not affect their performance against Barcelona, there is simply no way that it does not impact the team’s mentality ahead of the big game.
A sense of cohesion, unity, and togetherness is crucial for big games that require the team to function as a unit, and knowing that the differences between players are at an all-time high will create serious hurdles in Real Madrid’s ability to function together.
Further, there is now a clear divide between the manager Alvaro Arbeloa and a major part of the dressing room who do not respect the coach.
With so many rumours of the appointment of the next manager, it remains unclear how diligently Real Madrid are willing to listen to the under-fire manager. Without a plan and with their egos in their head, the team will likely get nowhere.
Personnel crisis in midfield
Barcelona enter El Clasico without Lamine Yamal which comes as a massive blow for them. Further, Raphinha is just returning from injury and is unlikely to start.
Real Madrid, however, are not without their own set of problems and their primary crisis lies in midfield.
The recent physical altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni left the former injured with a traumatic brain injury and unavailable for El Clasico, meaning that the captain is set to miss the game.
Arda Guler’s season-ending injury weeks ago only compounds the trouble in that respect, given that he has been one of the few bright sparks in the position for the team this season. Dani Ceballos, further, is also unavailable.
Arbeloa, thus, has his hands tied at the moment in midfield with Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni the only guaranteed starters.
The third midfield position must be filled by either the out-of-form Eduardo Camavinga or the young academy talent Thiago Pitarch whose rise has not pleased the Real Madrid hierarchy.
Which of the two players Arbeloa hopes to start on the night will play a crucial role in deciding the result. Pitarch is the superior option, but Arbeloa must be ready to go against Florentino Perez and Co.’s wishes to make that selection.
Avoiding an embarrassment
Never in the history of El Clasico has the La Liga title been decided in a direct match-up between Barcelona and Real Madrid. That, however, can change tomorrow.
The team’s win over Espanyol ensured the title race is alive for another week, and Real Madrid’s only hope of extending it further is by winning tonight against Hansi Flick’s men.
As matters stand, Barcelona sit on 88 points after 34 games, and Real Madrid trail by 11 points as they sit on 77 points with as many games played.
With just three games to go after the Clasico tonight, Barcelona need just a point over Real Madrid to be crowned champions.
While it might seem inevitable that Barcelona are crowned champions, Real Madrid will just want to avoid the situation of being on the losing end at the Spotify Camp Nou on the same night that Barcelona win the league title by downing them directly.
Further, Flick’s men are currently on course to finish the season with 100 points in what would be a stunning record. Real Madrid, needless to say, hold the best chance of preventing that by stealing three points tomorrow night.
Real Madrid made a mess of their game against Elche last night, and it is clear that the men in white have several flaws with no answers at the moment.
From being 2-0 up, the men in white bottled their lead and threw the game into jeopardy by permitting Elche to score two goals. The result, as many saw it, was set to end in a draw.
With some persistent attacks in the dying minutes, however, Real Madrid managed to build pressure on Elche and eventually scored one more goal at the death to take home the three points.
Needless to say, however, the negatives from the game far outweigh the positive news of the three points.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Elche 2-3 Real Madrid.
Another second-half collapse
After Real Madrid’s win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, Jose Mourinho stressed the fact that Real Madrid actually played only one half and that the fatigue began showing after the break.
On the night, the opposition began to enjoy more dominance and create chances after half-time as they outran and outpressed Los Blancos to good effect.
Last night was no different, and the second half went completely awry.
The men in white entered the half-time break cruising with a 2-0 lead and significant dominance over the proceedings. They had a massive xG, with Elche barely creating any chances of note.
After the break, however, the entire dynamic of the game changed as Real Madrid took a step back and handed the impetus to the hosts. Pressing high and attacking without fear, Elche dominated Real Madrid for most of the second half and had a staggering 60% of possession.
They scored twice – in the 71st and 83rd minutes – and equalised Real Madrid on the night. Given the visitors’ shambolic display, it was deserved for Elche.
At this point, the constant second-half collapses and fatigue struggles of the team after just 45 minutes of action must worry Jose Mourinho immensely. Heading into a derby away from home, Real Madrid have to do much better.
The away curse continues
While Real Madrid’s form at home has been imperious this season, their form away from home has been equally shocking.
They began their season with a last-minute win over Espanyol, and their second league game of the season on the road came against Real Betis and ended in defeat.
Heading into their third away game last night, there was an element of worry about how they would perform, and the trend continued once more.
Real Madrid did well to take the lead on the night, but they made the second half a massive war and far more difficult than it should have been.
At this point, serious questions have to be raised about Real Madrid’s form on the road and their inability to keep games under control when playing in away stadiums.
Heading forward in the season, Los Blancos have some massive away games coming up against far more difficult opposition. The Madrid derby is up next, and the team’s form is nothing promising heading into that fixture.
Carlos Espi saves the day… again!
Real Madrid are currently on 15 points after six games in the league, but Carlos Espi has directly contributed to a massive chunk of that.
If not for the new Spanish striker’s ability to come up clutch in big moments, Real Madrid could well have been on just 11 points at this stage in the season, and the four points he has added are absolutely crucial.
Against Espanyol, it was Espi who scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Real Madrid all three points after a complicated match. Last night, he repeated the same heroics once more.
With the team staring at a draw, the new signing was at the right place at the right time to bury Kylian Mbappe’s assist in stoppage time, handing Real Madrid all three points at the death.
He may not have played a large part on the night, but his cameo was again powerful and it is clear that he elevates the team’s attack and provides new solutions in front of goal. Espi has already proven his talent, and his ability to perform under pressure is what makes him special.
