Lessons on Supercopa between Barcelona and Real Madrid

Wednesday’s Supercopa de Espana clash between Clasico The opponents did not disappoint, as Real Madrid continued to destroyt Barcelona 3-2 in front of a passionate crowd in Saudi Arabia. (Stream highlights here: US only.) After Barca twice fought back from one goal to send the game into extra time, Federico Valverde’s 98th-minute goal solved the problem and sent Carlo Ancelotti’s side through to the final on Sunday. Japan, where they will meet Athletic Club or Atletico Madrid for the post.

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So what have we learned about these two super clubs since Wednesday night? Alex Kirkland (Real Madrid) and Sam Marsden (Barcelona) break down the game from both sides.

Real Madrid: Vinicius, Benzema’s class hides some legitimate problems

In short, Real Madrid’s win here is their season so far. The win highlights some of their notable strengths – and they’ll be enough to see them in most games – but it also exposes a number of related weaknesses, some of which can make they have to pay the price in more important contests than Supercopa midway through this season.

Let’s start with the positives. In the first half, the team looked direct and clinical, with Vinicius Junior cutting in to stop the attack and Karim Benzema and Luka Modric pulling the strings. Vinicius’ 25th-minute opener was a case study of how far he’s come as a player, when he creates a hard-to-see chance.

When they go up against all but the best, the sheer quality of Madrid’s best players will tend to get them through. Benzema set up Vinicius to open the scoring with a precise pass and scored his own in the 72nd minute with typical composure, after being forced to save well moments earlier from Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Madrid also have a squad rich in depth, even if coach Carlo Ancelotti is hesitant to take full advantage. Rodrygo, Lucas Vazquez and match-winner Valverde were all helpful and energetic starters as the starters began to run dry in the second half. There are, however, moments of anxiety, of skepticism that make you think that perhaps this team isn’t quite as good as their dominance in LaLiga.

The midfield trio of Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos lacks dynamism for all players. It’s something that Ancelotti tries his best to minimize by allowing them to skip pressing and instead sit deeper in midfield, but there will still be games when they’re overwhelmed, like those beginning of the second half by Barcelona’s brilliant young players.

Then there are lingering problems at the back, which goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois can often mask. David Alaba’s leadership and organization was badly missed, while Eder Militao’s dramatic improvement didn’t eliminate his knack for sometimes lacking defensive judgment. He was the one to blame for both Barca’s goals.

Ancelotti has many admirable qualities and deserves credit for quickly shaping this team into an effective counter-attacking unit that looks to play to his strengths, but his insistence in sticking to the same week, a week could cost Madrid later. Season. They will make it to the final as the favorites, regardless of who advances from Thursday’s semi-final. They should have enough firepower against either opponent to fly home with their first silver trophy of the season.

Once they return home, the points accumulated in the first half of the LaLiga season will be enough to see Ancelotti win his long-awaited first Spanish championship. But you wonder if that will be enough against Manchester City, Chelsea or Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Fortunately, that is a question for another day. – Kirkland

Barcelona: Another defeat, but Xavi’s side took the corner

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel for Barcelona. They have been locked in the dark for most of the season, knocked out of the Champions League and ranked sixth in La Liga, but Wednesday’s defeat to Real Madrid at least shows they can compete with their rivals. once again.

“Competitive” has been a buzzword for coach Xavi Hernandez since his side were beaten 3-0 by Bayern Munich in December. After that defeat in Germany, he says the time has come. the club must turn the page and start a new chapter in their history. Before facing Madrid this week, he urged his players to take this extra Clasico a turning point for their season. Based on how they faced Madrid, it could prove that even if they end up in defeat.

For the first time in a long time, Barca faced a team considered by many to be a favorite in the Champions League. Madrid are at the top of La Liga and 17 points ahead of Barca, but the gap is not clear on the field in Riyadh. In the first half, Barca were at times trying and perhaps too cautious, but they were able to wake up after Vinicius’s opening goal. Luuk de Jong saw two headers saved by Courtois as he casually returned home from Militao’s overly random clearance.

The Catalan side have struggled with goals this season – they have scored just two goals in six Champions League games – but they have forgotten their problems after De Jong’s strike. They even look like they’re having fun. With the debut of Pedri increasingly excellent, appearing for the first time since September after recovering from injury, they started the second half with the front foot. Opportunities come and go, but it looks like their efforts will be in vain as Karim Benzema restores the lead to Madrid.

Another Xavi buzzword is “brave.” He wanted his players to take risks with the ball, and he certainly set an example there when Barca were forced to chase the game, switch to a 3-2-3-2 formation and claim their reward. me. Ansu Fati, who like Pedri is back from injury, headed in Jordi Alba’s cross to send the game into extra time. “Tiene gol“They said in Spain (“he has the goal”) and Ansu certainly did. It was his fifth goal of the season in just his ninth appearance – five of which were substitutes. .

In extra time, Barca had a chance to win the game but were caught at half-time, letting them lose 2-4 as Madrid counter-attacked to win over Valverde.

History books will show a fifth consecutive win for Madrid in Clasico, but they can also show a point of opening for Barca. They avoided a 90-minute defeat to Madrid for the first time since December 2019 and apart from playing they were able to win the match. There is also the return of young players Pedri and Ansu, both crucial to this Barca side, and a full debut for Ferran Torres, following a €55m move from Manchester City.

President Joan Laporta recently heralded that “Barca is back.” They still have a long way to go both on and off the pitch, but they’re on the right track under Xavi. With a perfectly matched squad and one of the most exciting generations of young players in Europe, they should at least finish in the top four this season and avoid missing out on the Champions League. From there, they can focus on bigger challenges. – Marsden