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This proved to be practically a flawless day for the Madrid side, who defeated Barcelona 2-1 in the famous derby and extend their advantage at the summit of the domestic championship with a five-point cushion.

The English midfielder notched his maiden league goal and assist this term following a challenging period healing from a shoulder operation.

The French forward continued his lethal touch in attack, while the manager's strategy in his first El Clasico on the sidelines proved perfectly.

Yet the Vinicius Junior question emerged again once more.

Dissatisfied at coming off, the star forward ranted as he walked right by his manager and headed to the dressing room, then reappearing on the sidelines later.

Manager's Approach Yields Success from Jude Bellingham

In his first derby, this wasn't a bad one, considering seven of Madrid's previous eight coaches lost their initial La Liga meeting with Barca.

After the player-focused style under Ancelotti failed to get results last season, the new tactical system produced an important victory.

An expert commented, “He got it spot on. Real Madrid performed excellently, and Barcelona were off-color because of Madrid's tactics.”

Defensively, they pushed up as much as possible, and if they were beaten, they tracked back with discipline, all players even Vinicius.”

“They defended in two layers with a gap of 5-10 meters. The opposition were unable to break through.”

This approach appears to be good news for the midfielder, who previously was essentially asked to do everything in midfield and additional duties.

Theoretically Bellingham was positioned on the right, but in practice he had the freedom to move centrally and either support Mbappe or enter the box.

Balague stated, Employing Camavinga in the center, it brings greater energy and additional options to close down the spaces.”

This led to them to position Jude on the right flank. Undoubtedly he would have been asked to track Mbappe's movements when he had the ball and found openings, and he located him on several occasions.”

He was told to move into the penalty area and position himself near the edge of the box, where he poses a threat. He also came inside to block central spaces creating the opponent's play challenging.”

Vinicius Tensions Laid Bare

There's no doubting that supporters love Vinicius, his chant rang out multiple times by an enthusiastic Bernabeu crowd.

Yet recently there were countless reports lately that Los Blancos might think about allowing his departure if the right offer was made.

He has one season to go on his contract at the end of the campaign, yet talks over a new deal have stalled.

His response when substituted with 20 minutes left spoke of tension. When the match ended, teammates intervened as he tried to approach Yamal.

Balague noted, “Everyone will have a go at him for good reason, because it showed a lack of respect toward his replacement who replaced him.”

Yet, growing up, he has lived amid adversity, and he feels that the world is hostile.”

Such thinking is tough to overcome, particularly since you consider yourself close to being number one in the world, and the organization drives the axis towards Mbappe as the star.”

During this campaign he has perceived that the club is not defending him. Rumors indicate, perhaps from within, or not denied by the club, that they would be open an offer worth 250m euros for his transfer and allow him to leave.”

He is aware of this, and when he was taken off – justifiably, since he wasn't defending as he should – to him he questions ‘why me, why me again?.”

It may be challenging to reconcile between the club and Vinicius at the moment.”

Barcelona Style “Crumbles”

Having triumphed in all four of previous campaign's derbies, this outing represented Barca's shaky start to the campaign.

Absences have deprived Hansi Flick of crucial contributors such as Raphinha, the striker plus others, and the approach is failing when they are missing.

Balague said, Barcelona appear are slightly off without the ball, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive to get the possession back.”

They are more vulnerable to break them down. If the defensive line is not perfect, which was the case the Mbappe goal as Balde failed to step up, they are not helped by teammates failing to press the ball-carrier adequately.”

Yamal, who troubled Madrid of Real last season, was kept largely in check.

“Their stars weren't at their best. The youngster seems not in top condition, perhaps he's suffering from injury issues