Madrid: FC Barcelona moved six points clear at the top of La Liga with a 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the season’s first El Clasico, while Atletico Madrid disappointed again and Las Palmas are showing life under Diego Martinez.
With Barcelona looking set to open up a big gap at the top, here are some things we learned this weekend in Spain:
1. Barcelona live dangerously but take huge win
One of the doubts ahead of Saturday’s visit to Real Madrid was if Barcelona coach Hansi Flick would alter the high defensive line his side plays to counter Real Madrid’s pace in attack.
Flick kept the high line in the Santiago Bernabeu, and although his side lived very dangerously, especially in the first half, the high defense worked, with Real Madrid falling offside over 10 times and Kylian Mbappe being caught out on eight occasions. Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski gave a lesson in finishing to turn the game Barca’s way, and with Madrid looking for an equalizer, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha took advantage of the spaces in their defense to add further sheen to what could be a season-defining win.
2. Real Madrid exposed by Barcelona
There had already been doubts over Real Madrid’s performance this season ahead of the Clasico, with their firepower in attack helping paper over deficiencies in midfield and defense. Those problems were visible in the first half of their 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund last Tuesday, but instead of focusing on the defensive errors, Vinicius’ hat-trick captured the headlines.
There is no disguising Saturday’s defeat – Barca were tactically better than Carlo Ancelotti’s side, and they also worked harder and covered more ground. Before the match, Ancelotti said he wasn’t losing sleep over facing Barcelona, but he could be forgiven for a couple of sleepless nights afterwards.
3. Atletico Madrid underwhelm again
Last weekend’s 3-1 win at home to Leganes looked to be a point of inflexion after some indifferent displays and results for Atletico Madrid, but the past week has shown that, rather than being a turning point, that win was a flash in the pan. In midweek, Atletico were outplayed at home to Lille in the UEFA Champions League, and on Sunday they lost 1-0 away to Real Betis.
Atletico fans will say Angel Correa hit the woodwork twice in the last 10 minutes, but that shouldn’t hide that Betis were the better team and should have put the game to bed before then. Diego Simeone accepted the blame for the result afterwards, but this is turning into a familiar story for Atletico – high hopes, followed by disappointment, and then settling for third or fourth again.
4. Martinez breathes life into Las Palmas
The arrival of former Granada and Espanyol coach Diego Martinez at Las Palmas has helped work a minor miracle at the club. Martinez took over after Luis Carrion was sacked after failing to win any of his nine matches in charge, with the club looking destined for relegation and a run of 23 matches without a win stretching back to February.
They looked dreadful for 30 minutes in Valencia a week ago, before something clicked and they ended up winning 3-2. This weekend they beat Girona 1-0 to not only make it two wins from two games, but also keep a clean sheet for the first time this season in a dramatic turnaround of fortunes. There is still a long way to go, but Martinez has given Las Palmas hope that survival is now possible.
–IANS