Real Madrid supporters have every reason to be concerned about the club’s future. There are conflicting messages about what Florentino Perez will do this summer, including rumors that he will not make signings at positions in desperate need of improvement, such as right back.
Los Blancos are coming off an embarrassing 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in El Clasico. Worse, Real Madrid could have lost by more than that, as they were saved by a few big saves from Thibaut Courtois and benefited from a few missed easy chances.
Barcelona has recovered from a poor start to the season, and they have kept pace with Real since Xavi’s appointment. Here are five things they are doing better right now.
Barcelona is establishing its identity.
What is the identity of Real Madrid? What kind of game do Real want to play? They’ve lost the defensive structure that Zinedine Zidane gave them, and they’re not playing with the same attacking zeal. Carlo Ancelotti does not have Real Madrid under control in games. He prefers to sit back and hit teams on the counter, and as we saw against Barcelona and in the first leg against PSG at the Parc des Princes, they are often embarrassed and play like cowards under Ancelotti.
Meanwhile, Xavi has assisted Barcelona in blending old and new styles of play.
Perhaps football fans were surprised when Barcelona signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose penchant for running behind the defense did not appear to fit Barcelona’s identity at first. But he’s been a perfect fit for what Xavi wants to do, which is to add this field-stretching dimension to La Blaugrana’s traditional possession-based, passing-oriented football.
The end result is a distinct, exciting brand of football that is the perfect marriage of a traditional and modern philosophy. Meanwhile, watching a Real Madrid match is like watching a random “go out there and play, boys” gameplan devoid of identity, tactics, or soul.
