Real Madrid's Traditional Way: The End of Barcelona's El Clasico Hegemony

MADRID, SUNDAY – In the el clasico match, the debt of revenge had to be settled. This mission was accomplished by Real Madrid after suffering defeats in all four encounters against Barcelona last season. The revenge was fulfilled with a 2-1 victory over Barca at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, on Sunday (26/10/2025) evening WIB. It was not a complicated tactic, but rather the most fundamental principles of football that ultimately guided Real to victory.

Despite the absence of Hansi Flick on the sidelines due to a red card suspension, Barca remains steadfast in the high defensive line system implemented by the German coach. Last season, Barca achieved domestic success by applying a pressing game based on a high defensive line. Many opponents, including Real, struggled as they frequently found themselves caught offside. Recently, however, Barca's high defensive line has started to be deciphered by their opponents.

The most commonly used method to overcome Barcelona's high defensive line is to position a forward behind the defenders as a decoy. On the other side, there is a winger ready to receive the ball.

When the ball is directed to the winger, the offside line automatically moves further back. This moment is then utilized by the winger to send a cross to the striker who is no longer in an offside position. This method has been successfully implemented by Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla to defeat Barcelona.

However, Real apparently did not require such a complex method to break through Barcelona's high defense line. The team, coached by Xabi Alonso, only needed to apply traditional methods that have long been part of football teachings.

Barca's high defensive line has the consequence of leaving a large space between the goalkeeper and the four defenders. The traditional principle or method in football teaches that this large space should be exploited as much as possible. The way to do this is by placing players who possess high speed and are alert in halting the initial run to avoid the offside trap.

The role of the fast player is taken on by Kylian Mbappe. Last season, the French striker struggled against Barcelona's high defensive line, getting caught offside up to eight times. This number is the highest for a player in the last 15 seasons in La Liga. This time, Mbappe has learned a lot about how to counter Barcelona's offside trap.

Mbappe waited for the right moment to receive the pass and start running. Jude Bellingham, who keenly observed Mbappe's movement, delivered a precise through ball from the midfield, which was then converted into a goal in the 22nd minute.

Previously, precisely at the 12th minute, Mbappe managed to score after receiving a touch from Arda Guler. However, the goal was disallowed by referee Cesar Soto Grado because Mbappe was deemed to have been in an offside position before receiving the pass.

The cancellation of Mbappe's goal has sparked debate because in the video assistant referee (VAR) replay, the positions of Mbappe and Barca defender Pau Cubarsi appear to be level. These two moments demonstrate that Mbappe has made significant progress in overcoming the offside trap of Barca's high defense.

"We played very well without the ball. We know when to press and when to stay compact. The team conceded very few goals, and we hardly allowed any chances," said Real's right-back, Dani Carvajal.

Barca, which aims to extend its hegemony over Real in El Clasico, attempted to fight back. As a result, Fermin Lopez was able to equalize in the 38th minute after converting a low cross from Marcus Rashford.

However, it did not take long for Real to regain the lead. Five minutes later, it was Bellingham's turn to score from inside the penalty area, capitalizing on a header assist from Eder Militao.

That was Bellingham's second goal of the season. Previously, he also became the hero of Real's victory over Juventus with a nearly identical goal scheme. Thus, the goal against Barca further emphasizes Bellingham's quality as a player skilled at positioning himself within the penalty area.

"We can fight, but that is not enough. We need to create more opportunities and improve ourselves," said Barca midfielder, Frenkie De Jong.

Despite fielding Lamine Yamal from the start, Barca struggled to create many opportunities. The "Blaugrana" recorded an expected goals (xG) value of only 1.03. Their total shots on target were just six, fewer than Real, who took ten shots.

Yamal, who was expected to create opportunities or score goals, was completely ineffective in this match. Alonso consistently reminded his players not to allow Yamal to play one-on-one. As much as possible, there should be two players marking him. Additionally, Real's left-back Alvaro Carreras also performed very well in this match, successfully reclaiming the ball six times and intercepting passes three times. As a result, Yamal was only able to make two attempts on goal throughout the match.

This victory solidifies Real's position at the top of the league standings with a total of 27 points. "Los Blancos" are five points ahead of Barca.

On the other hand, this victory is a rare achievement for Alonso. He was able to reverse the trend of Real managers who have struggled in their debut el clasico matches. Seven out of the last eight coaches of Real lost in their first encounter with Barca in the league. Only Zinedine Zidane has ever secured a victory in his debut el clasico in 2016. (AP)