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This proved to be practically a flawless day for Real Madrid, as they beat their arch-rivals by a 2-1 scoreline in the famous derby and stretch their lead in first place in La Liga by five points.

Bellingham scored his maiden goal in the league and assist this campaign following a difficult period recovering from shoulder surgery.

Kylian Mbappe showed his lethal performance in attack, while the coach's game plan in his first Clasico on the sidelines functioned like a charm.

Yet the Vinicius Junior question emerged again yet again.

Unhappy with coming off, Vinicius complained while walking straight past the coach before stormed off the pitch, before coming back to the substitute area several minutes.

Tactical Setup Yields Results for the Midfielder

For a debut Clasico, this wasn't a bad one, considering seven of Real's previous eight managers lost their first league meeting against their rivals.

After the relaxed approach of Carlo Ancelotti fell short in the previous campaign, the new tactical system delivered its first major result.

An expert commented, His plan was perfect. Real Madrid were impressive, while Barcelona were off-color because of what Real Madrid were doing.”

Defensively, they applied pressure as much as possible, and when bypassed, they retreated with discipline, everybody even Vinicius.”

The team's shape with two banks spaced by a short distance. Barcelona could not find a way through.”

This approach appears to be positive for Bellingham, as he last season was essentially asked to do everything in the engine room and beyond.

In the lineup the young star was positioned on the right, but actually he had the freedom to come inside and either support Mbappe or crash the penalty area.

The analyst continued, With the French midfielder in central midfield, it brings increased movement and additional options to shut down the passing lanes.”

This led to the team to put Jude on the right-hand side. Certainly he would have been asked to keep an eye on Mbappe's movements on the ball with room, connecting with him a few times.”

His instructions included to move into the penalty area and be around just outside the box, where he poses a threat. Additionally, he moved centrally to close the inside channels and cause Barcelona's life very difficult.”

Strained Relations Revealed

It's clear that Madridistas adore Vinicius, calls for him were sung multiple times by a fervent home supporters.

Yet there have been numerous stories in recent months that Real Madrid would consider selling him should a suitable bid arrived.

Vinicius has a year left under his current terms come the end of the season, yet discussions on a renewal have stalled.

Vinicius' behavior after coming off in the second half indicated issues. After the full-time whistle, he was held back as he attempted to confront Yamal.

The expert said, He will face backlash for good reason, as it demonstrated poor sportsmanship for Rodrygo who replaced him.”

“But since being a kid, his life has been in a challenging environment, and perceives that the world is hostile.”

This mindset is hard to change, especially when you feel close to being the top star, but the team redirects attention towards Mbappe as the main man.”

“This season he's felt that Real Madrid is not defending him. There are stories, possibly leaked by the club, or not denied by the club, that they might accept a bid of €250 million for his transfer and sell him.”

He is aware of this, and after Alonso subbed him – fairly, as he ceased tracking back as he should – to him he says ‘why me, why me again?.”

Building bridges will be tough to reconcile between the club and Vinicius now.”

Their System “Crumbles”

After winning each of the previous campaign's Clasicos, this outing was emblematic of their uncertain beginning of the season.

Fitness issues have robbed the manager of key players such as Raphinha, the striker plus others, and the tactical setup isn't working without them.

Balague said, The squad seems is a little bit less sharp defensively, not as eager to regain possession, softer to reclaim the ball.”

They are more vulnerable to break them down. If the defensive line is flawed, like on the Mbappe goal since the defender kept him onside, they receive little support by the midfield and forwards not challenging opponents in possession as well as they should.”

Yamal, the main threat in previous meetings, was well contained.

Key players were below par. Lamine doesn't feel like he is at his best, perhaps he's suffering from groin problems