Barcelona beat Real Madrid by 4 goals at the Santiago Bernabeu showing complete domination. The manita was inches away in a scenario that only six months ago seemed unimaginable. All thanks to one man.
Xavi managed to turn Barcelona from La Liga losers to title candidates with 12 consecutive wins in five months. Executive freedom including the right transfers, and plenty of young La Masía talent were key to what seems to be the beginning of a new era.
Unlike the torturous pace of last October’s El Clásico where both sides gave us very little to enjoy, tonight was a different story. Barça opened with a firm game plan, depicting a clear image of what Xavi’s Barcelona is meant to look like: unity, high possession, strong pressure on the front lines and constant goal scoring initiative. Similar to what the team looked like while Xavi was still wearing the iconic jersey.
After seasons of shaky performances and six derby defeats, the Culers scored four goals in 52 minutes against Real Madrid. And kept on going: creating more open opportunities in nearly each attack. The pace only dropped 20 minutes later while the Blancos fans began to slowly leave the stadium in complete silence.
On the other hand Real Madrid are visibly facing a generational change. The need to adapt the current squad is more than obvious, since the Blancos are no longer a powerhouse. They spent the night on the defence, conceding 4 goals without scoring a single one. Ancelotti was noticeably late in subbing some of his players. However, no sub would be able to change much against this Barcelona.
The tides have shifted and the Catalan Renaissance is sure to offer good games in the upcoming months.
As a very cold looking Ancelotti shook Xavi’s hand it is impossible not to compare the predecessors. Barcelona went from a physically distanced Koeman to a man who is cheering on each goal as if he had scored them himself. Wanting a fifth. A connection that was missing for years. One that makes all the difference.
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