Who will dominate on October 26 in El Clásico?
Xabi Alonso has only managed Real for 15 matches, but there is already a team he has faced twice.
Surprisingly, it is not a Spanish team. In the summer, the Madrid side played against Juventus in the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup — they won 1-0 then. Almost four months later, the same matchup ended with the same score, but this time in the group stage of the Champions League. The teams are in different states, although the conditions at the start of the season were similar — a new coach, a rebuild, an active transfer campaign. But the Turin team is currently on a winless streak that has lasted since September 13 and consists of seven matches, while Real consistently churns out three-point victories, leads La Liga, and does not stumble in the Champions League. The game of the third round of the main European cup looked as if a team from the second half of the Spanish championship was facing Madrid, not a grand. Alonso's team completely controlled the course of the match and dominantly varied their play against Juventus. Seriously, Real literally did what they wanted. If they wanted, they tried to overwhelm the opponent with crosses and set pieces. If they wanted, they slightly reduced possession, even allowing the guests to create something, and switched to quick counterattacks. All dangerous approaches and moments from Igor Tudor's team were more a result of the actions of Madrid's players. And here we need to pause because we have reached the main and unexpected conclusion: Real played in the style of Barcelona. If we depersonalize the participants of the match — put them in neutral jerseys, blur their faces with numbers, and leave only schematic movements — it might indeed seem that it was the Catalans who dominated the opponent's half for all 90 minutes. Only the tilt to the left flank would reveal that it was Real. Güler coped well with the role of Pedri, Bellingham resembled De Jong in some ways, and Vinicius was not much different from Lamine Yamal. Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona never gave the ball to Madrid and surpassed them in possession in every match, almost always significantly. Dozens of hours before the start of Europe's biggest rivalry, a significant intrigue arose — who, actually, will play as the first number? It is unlikely that the Catalans will intentionally give up the initiative, but it seems Alonso is also preparing to keep the ball with him. The match against Barcelona on October 26 will be a huge test for Xabi in his position, but for now, one can rejoice in the 1-0 victory against Juventus.
