Real Madrid Stumbles Again Against Familiar Foe

Real Madrid fans endured a recurring nightmare this Sunday. They found themselves rising from their seats in a sweat, witnessing yet again how Barcelona outclassed their team in the blink of an eye. The unfortunate narrative of recent clashes repeated itself at the Lluis Companys, highlighting Carlo Ancelotti's inability to alter the course of a match that seemed to play out in one direction. It was yet another stumble over the same stone.

Ancelotti's pre-match assertion that "if the players listen to me, things will go well" proved futile. Judging by the events following Mbappé's second goal, the players seemed to have ignored his advice. Real Madrid was outplayed in every aspect for half an hour. Despite Barcelona's recent exertions in Milan, they were physically superior, tactically outmanoeuvring a team that appeared to have fewer players on the pitch, and most notably, they were outmatched in spirit. The team lacked the resolve to defend their lead and succumbed to a storm reminiscent of the 0-4 at the Bernabéu or the 2-5 in the Spanish Super Cup, which are no longer anomalies.

Flick's tactical masterclass over Ancelotti during that period was absolute. Barcelona suffocated Real Madrid in their own half, leaving Asensio, Tchouaméni, Valverde, and others with no escape from the trap. The Italian coach attempted several adjustments, but none altered the familiar script. In desperation, Valverde even resorted to taking goal kicks to push the ball as far away as possible, trying to stretch a Barcelona side permanently camped in their half. This strategy also failed, merely returning possession to Flick's men more swiftly.

That half-hour onslaught, during which Barcelona scored four goals, left Ancelotti and his players in the spotlight. Real Madrid lacked the attitude to win duels and the focus to maintain their opponent's high tempo. Every contested ball went Barcelona's way due to better positioning and conviction. Ceballos faded, Valverde chased shadows, and childish errors emerged, such as only tracking the ball carrier or insufficient communication, as seen in the third goal after a mix-up between Ceballos and Mbappé.

Ancelotti once again turned to an emergency defence due to poor planning and injuries to players like Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Rudiger, and Mendy, and his team felt the impact. Lucas Vázquez was exposed in several plays, particularly in the fourth goal, Asensio and Tchouaméni struggled against the movement of Ferran, and Fran García was too constrained by Lamine Yamal's quality to attack effectively. The result was a defence with feet of clay, adding to the general disarray of a team that has conceded 16 goals this season in the four clashes they have played. It was the worst possible farewell for an Ancelotti unable to stem the Blaugrana tide.