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This proved to be almost an ideal outing from the Madrid side, as they defeated Barca by a 2-1 scoreline in the famous derby to extend their lead in first place in La Liga by five points.

Jude Bellingham notched his first league goal and setup this campaign after a tough spell recovering from surgery on his shoulder.

Kylian Mbappe continued his deadly touch when scoring, while the manager's strategy in his inaugural derby as coach worked perfectly.

However the Brazilian's situation emerged again once more.

Frustrated at his substitution, the star forward protested as he walked straight past Xabi Alonso and headed to the dressing room, before coming back to the bench later.

Manager's Approach Yields Results from Bellingham

In his first derby, Alonso did well, considering the majority of Madrid's recent managers were defeated in their first La Liga meeting against their rivals.

Following the player-focused style under Ancelotti fell short last season, Alonso's positional game-model yielded a significant outcome.

Spanish football analyst observed, The strategy worked brilliantly. Madrid were very good, while the visitors were off-color because of what Real Madrid were doing.”

“Without the ball, they applied pressure as much as possible, and when bypassed, they retreated in a structured manner, everybody even Vinicius.”

Their defensive setup with two banks separated by a short distance. Barcelona could not find a way through.”

The new system seems beneficial for Bellingham, who in the past was essentially asked to do everything in the engine room and additional duties.

In the lineup the young star was positioned on the right, however he could to come inside and assist the attack or crash the penalty area.

The analyst continued, Employing Camavinga in central midfield, this provides increased movement and better ability to close down the passing lanes.”

“That forced them to put Jude on the right flank. Undoubtedly he would have been asked to keep an eye on the runs of Mbappe when he had the ball and had space, and he located him repeatedly.”

He was told to move into the penalty area and position himself near just outside the box, where he is very dangerous. He also came inside to block central spaces and make the opponent's play challenging.”

Strained Relations Exposed

Undoubtedly that Madridistas are fond of the Brazilian, his name rang out multiple times by an enthusiastic Bernabeu crowd.

However recently there were various accounts in recent months that the club would consider letting him leave if an attractive proposal were to come in.

The winger will have a year left on his contract when this term concludes, but discussions on a renewal have not progressed.

Vinicius' behavior to being replaced late in the game spoke of tension. Post-game, he was held back as he tried to approach Yamal.

Balague noted, “Everyone will have a go at him and rightly so, because it showed poor sportsmanship for the substitute who replaced him.”

“But since being a kid, his life has been amid adversity, and he believes that he faces opposition.”

This mindset is hard to change, notably when you feel close to being the top star, and the organization redirects attention in favor of Mbappe as the key figure.”

“This season he has perceived that the club is not defending him. Reports suggest, potentially club-sourced, or not denied by the club, that they would be open a bid of a quarter-billion euros to sign him and sell him.”

He is aware of this, and when Alonso subbed him – justifiably, because Vinicius stopped dropping back as required – in his mind he thinks why single me out?’.”

It may be challenging to build a bridge with the club and him currently.”

Their System “Struggles”

Having triumphed in all four of last season's derbies, this outing highlighted Barca's shaky start to the campaign.

Fitness issues have left without the Barcelona coach of key players such as Raphinha, the striker and Olmo, and the tactical setup isn't working in their absence.

Balague commented, Barcelona appear are slightly off defensively, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive to reclaim the ball.”

“It's easier to attack them. When the backline is not organized, like on the Mbappe goal as Balde failed to step up, they are not helped by the midfield and forwards not closing down opponents in possession adequately.”

Lamine Yamal, tormentor-in-chief in previous meetings, was neutralized.

Key players were below par. The youngster doesn't feel like in top condition, maybe due to injury issues