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The match represented nearly an ideal day from Xabi Alonso's squad, who overcame Barcelona two goals to one in the famous derby to stretch the gap in first place of La Liga to five points.

Jude Bellingham notched his maiden domestic strike and setup this campaign after a challenging spell healing from shoulder surgery.

Mbappe maintained his deadly form in front of goal, and the manager's strategy during his debut El Clasico on the sidelines functioned perfectly.

But then the Vinicius Junior question came to the forefront another time.

Frustrated with his substitution, the Brazilian winger ranted while walking right by his manager and marched to the dressing room, before returning to the bench after a short while.

Tactical Setup Delivers Positive Outcomes for Bellingham

In his first derby, it was a solid start, considering seven of Madrid's previous eight bosses were defeated in their initial La Liga meeting with Barcelona.

After the laissez-faire style from the previous coach did not deliver in the previous campaign, the new tactical system produced a significant outcome.

An expert observed, “He got it spot on. Madrid were very good, while Barca didn't play well due to the home team's approach.”

Defensively, they applied pressure consistently, if overcome, they tracked back in an organised way, everybody including Vinicius.”

“They defended in two layers with a gap of a short distance. Barcelona struggled to penetrate.”

The tactical change appears to be beneficial for the midfielder, as he previously had been tasked to carry the midfield in the engine room and beyond.

On paper the young star started wide right, but in practice he was allowed to move centrally and either support Mbappe or get into scoring positions.

The analyst stated, With the French midfielder in the middle, it brings greater energy and better ability to close down the passing lanes.”

As a result them to deploy Jude on the right-hand side. I'm sure he would have been asked to track the forward's positioning in possession and had space, and he found him repeatedly.”

His instructions included to move into the penalty area and operate on just outside the box, where he poses a threat. He also drifted in to close the inside channels and cause the opponent's play tough.”

Conflict Issues Revealed

It's clear that Madridistas are fond of the Brazilian, his name were sung multiple times by the passionate home supporters.

But recently there were numerous stories in recent months that Los Blancos might think about allowing his departure should a suitable bid arrived.

He will have a year left on his deal at the end of the campaign, but negotiations for an extension have not progressed.

His response after coming off in the second half suggested tension. Post-game, teammates intervened when he moved toward Yamal.

The analyst said, Many will criticize him and justifiably, as it demonstrated disrespect for the substitute taking his place.”

However, from a young age, his life has been amid adversity, and he believes that everyone is against him.”

Such thinking is difficult to shake, notably when you consider yourself close to being the top star, then the club drives the axis towards Mbappe as the star.”

“This season he believes that the organization isn't protecting him. Rumors indicate, possibly leaked by the club, or not denied by the club, that they wouldn't be unhappy an offer worth a quarter-billion euros to sign him and allow him to leave.”

“He feels all that, and after he was taken off – justifiably, because Vinicius stopped dropping back as required – in his mind he says why always me?.”

It may be challenging to build a bridge with the club and Vinicius now.”

Barca's Approach “Crumbles”

Following victories in all four of recent matches, Sunday's performance represented Barcelona's unconvincing start to the campaign.

Absences have robbed Hansi Flick of key players such as Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Olmo, and the approach is failing when they are missing.

The analyst stated, “It's like the whole team are slightly off defensively, with less desire to win it back, softer to get the possession back.”

“It's easier to create chances against them. If the defensive line is flawed, as it wasn't Mbappe's strike because Alejandro Balde failed to step up, they are not helped by the midfield and forwards not challenging those on the ball as expected.”

The young talent, who troubled Madrid earlier, was neutralized.

“Their stars were below par. Lamine doesn't feel like he is at his best, possibly because of injury issues