How Real Broke the Offside Code to End El Clásico Losing Streak

Real Madrid edge past FC Barcelona 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu, ending the four-game losing streak against their arch-rivals. The shoreline could have been much higher, due to a sensational offside trap and Szczęsny’s brilliant performance, but the margin did not turn into a massive win for Real Madrid.

Last season, one of the main reasons behind Real’s four defeats to Barcelona was Barça’s famous offside trap. Real Madrid lost two cup finals, including the Copa Del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. They even ruined their La Liga hopes, leaving two games in hand.

Last season, despite scoring a significant amount, Real’s major problem was penetration. Barcelona almost controlled those games like end-to-end encryption, as Carlo’s Madrid was clueless. During the build-up phase, the counter-pressing of the Catalans tangled them, forcing them to commit an error.

Tactical Twirls  Favored Real Madrid

But yesterday, it was a new season-the team is tactically pureed by Xabi Alonso. Both teams have gone neck to neck. Considering Barcelona’s counter-pressing as a serious threat, Real Madrid was penetrating the ball through quick mid-long passes.  They tried to absorb the press as much as possible by quickly switching the ball from one flank to the other.

The decision to play Federico Valverde at right-back instead of Trent Alexander-Arnold was quite surprising. While Trent can accelerate attacks with his attacking intent, building a compact defensive line during the attack-to-defense transition is often difficult for him. Such a strategy may work against teams sitting in a low or mid-block, but against a side like Barça—who tend to play aggressively even with a three-goal lead—it becomes risky.

Both teams aimed to evade the press by playing at a high tempo, as if racing against time. Holding on to the ball only increased the chance of making mistakes.

In the defensive midfield, Aurélien Tchouaméni maintained excellent communication, allowing Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga to link up smoothly with Vinícius and Mbappé in breaking through Barcelona’s backline. However, Barça’s defensive line always sets an offside trap, and this time too, Mbappé’s powerful strike from just outside the box was ruled out. Real Madrid had two goals disallowed in total. Yet, unlike the previous encounter, they did not crumble in that trap. Just ten minutes after the first disallowed goal, Mbappé scored through a vertical pass that split the backline from Jude Bellingham.

To contain Barça, Real Madrid opted for man-to-man pressing on the day. In previous El Classicos, one of Real’s biggest headaches had been Lamine Yamal, but Álvaro Carreras didn’t let him out of sight for even a moment.

Szczęsny Saves Barcelona From A Major Defeat

Wojciech Szczęsny delivered a highly commendable goalkeeping performance. His sharp and decisive saves on several occasions reduced the margin of Real’s victory. Whether it was stopping the rapid shots from Mbappé, Vinícius, and Bellingham in open play, or saving Mbappé’s penalty with a firm hand, Szczęsny still managed to steal some of the spotlight on this night of defeat.

The only game came in favor of Barcalona was scored Fermin López. In a open play situation Barca captilized the moment in a furiotioc way. Although Real Madrid created many good chances to extend the lead, where from side Barcalona, they plucked way to create more chacnes to equalize.

After losing four consecutive El Clásicos, Real Madrid finally tasted victory in the new season under their new coach. They also extended their points lead—finishing the weekend at the top of the table with 27 points, while Barcelona trailed in second with 22.