Barcelona ended a streak of five consecutive defeats in El Clasico
If Barcelona are to prove their resurgence under Xavi, silencing the Bernabeu while reviving the magic of El Clasico after a period of Real Madrid dominance should be taken seriously.
The Catalan giants have been reborn under their legendary former midfielder and after Sunday’s historic and emphatic win over the runaway La Liga leaders, it looks like Xavi will only be carrying on that legacy from the coaching bench.
“We’re back,” veteran defender Gerard Pique tweeted minutes after the visitors wrapped up a dominant 4-0 win over their oldest and strongest rival to end a run of five straight defeats in that encounter.
That was poignant from a man who has seen more Clasicos than most, through the intensity of the Cristiano Ronaldo era against Lionel Messi, beneath the heights of Pep Guardiola’s fascinating side and more recently during the upheaval brought about by Barca’s financial woes were caused.
It would still be a serious meltdown lest Real Madrid celebrate a 35th title with their fans at the Cibeles Fountain in the heart of the Spanish capital at the end of the season.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain nine points ahead of Sevilla and 12 points ahead of third-placed Barcelona at the top of La Liga, but Barcelona have now set the tone for the future of this legendary encounter.
“We changed our negative dynamic of losing the last couple of Clasicos,” said Xavi. “We proved that we can compete and play against the best teams in the world.
“I don’t know if we can win the title. We can’t rule anything out. Maybe we’re a bit late, but it’s a very big win for us.”
“I’m very proud of my team. This is El Clasico and it can only help us further. There’s still a lot to do.”
After getting lost under Ronald Koeman, Xavi has managed to quickly implement his desired style since arriving at Barcelona in November and has been bolstered by the now very smart signings in January.
“I’m not surprised about Xavi,” says former Real Madrid and Barcelona forward Javier Saviola, who saw the midfielder’s potential as a coach when they played together for Barca.
“You could already see that he had the ability to acquire this facet of coaching, which is so complicated for everyone. He had this tactical coaching habit of always positioning the players he had in front of him so he could see them that we didn’t notice, so you could already see things.
“He gave Barca a different face. The signings were important. The signings this season have been beneficial for Barca and they are playing at a high level.
“We have to be patient with him but I think he’s the right coach because he was born at the club, has the Barca philosophy and undoubtedly has everything to be successful at FC Barcelona.”
Those newcomers include Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who stunned home fans at the Bernabeu by heading Barcelona’s first and then sent some towards the exit when he snapped his side’s fourth after just 51 minutes.
Real Madrid supporters then had to endure the shame of listening “ole” to every pass from a small group of traveling Barcelona fans, with teenage midfielders Pedri and Gavi suggesting they could be key components of many El Clasicos to come.
“When Messi and Cristiano left, people said the Clasico will never be the same,” said former Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta, who was in Madrid to work on ESPN’s US coverage. “But Spanish clubs have been really good at producing young players.”
Knowing the huge global appeal of El Clasico, La Liga has tried to jazz up their marquee by giving it the ‘Super Bowl’ treatment, hosting pre-match parties with former players, celebrities and influencers, and fan events around the world hosted city.
But after three years without a win against Real in La Liga, Barcelona’s dominant win has now done the marketing for them.
Real Madrid are nine points clear at the top of La Liga
In the days leading up to El Clasico, cranes and construction vehicles continued to work inside and outside the Bernabeu as part of the futuristic renovations at Real Madrid’s famous old ground.
As Ancelotti watched at the end of a cold Sunday night, it seemed as if the confidence of his side, lacking prolific striker Karim Benzema, might also need a little boost.
Ever since Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018, the club have been looking for someone to embrace the same superstar status and former Real Madrid striker Hugo Sanchez is hoping to do so with the summer signing of French striker Kylian Mbappe from Paris St-Germain can be solved.
“Taking into account the negotiations, the Madrid fans have an expectation that he will sign,” says Sanchez. “He’s the most attractive player in the world. Real have waited patiently for one, two, three seasons and he would make La Liga much more attractive for us.”
Ronaldo’s presence can still be felt in the city, through his Ballon d’Ors and individual awards on display in Real’s trophy room, its branded gyms across Madrid and its own Pestana CR7 hotel on Gran Via.
Across the street at the Club Store, however, Vinicius Junior is the current showpiece and proved Real’s only attacking threat on Sunday. Former Real Madrid winger Savio is confident his fellow Brazilian will be a star for Los Blancos too.
“He has a lot of potential, a lot of individual quality, a lot of technical quality and this season he’s learning more and more about Spanish and European football, about tactics,” says Savio.
“At the same time, he’s a player I like a lot because he has a lot of personality, he plays in one-on-ones – he never stopped being the Vinicius I saw in Flamengo, the one-on-ones , the individual quality, and this year he’s showing more and more of his potential and talent.”
After Real broke El Clasico, Real will need Vinicius and all the new stars this summer to help them compete with a Barcelona side that will surely be stronger in contention for the title
“I am confident that Xavi’s blueprint will guarantee them a foothold in every single league game, including the Clasico,” says Domagoj Kostanjsak, a sports journalist and football analyst covering Barcelona.
“Once they improve certain positions they will be well on their way back to the top – I would see them as strong contenders for silver as early as next season.”
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