El Clasico: Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid – 3 talking points

Barcelona romped to victory against the eternal rivals Real Madrid at the Nou Camp, with Luis Suarez grabbing a hattrick. Here are three key takeaways from the match.

Barcelona saved their best performance of the season for the visit of their most hated rivals, Real Madrid. Despite the 5-1 scoreline, there were plenty of talking points that unfolded from the match; here they are.

Big names stepping up for Barca…finally

The Lionel Messi-dependencia that has plagued Barcelona in the recent years, particularly after the departures of Neymar, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, seems to be in the past now.

With their star man injured for their two biggest matches in the early season, Barcelona had to knuckle down and figure out just how they could work things out.

Ernesto Valverde has not been short of his critics during his time at Barcelona, and he would have to show his mettle to help get his team through this.

Enter Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto. The three of them were nothing short of spectacular against Real.

Despite starting quite slowly this season, Suarez’s influence is growing in the absence of his good friend. He is showing the same fight and spirit that has made him on of the most lethal strikers in all of Europe, and he’s doing so more consistently now. He was a constant thorn in Madrid’s defence, hassling and harrying his opponents when the opportunity presented himself, picked up a well deserved hattrick, and could have had more had it not been for Thibaut Courtois.

Roberto was a tank down that right flank, first as a right back, going on mazy runs and attacking spaces that pegged Marcelo back. After he moved up the field to play as a right winger, Roberto helped himself to a couple assists and could easily have had another. His importance to the team is growing, and Barcelona will be looking to him more through the course of the season.

In the meanwhile, his namesake, Sergi Busquests was his usual calm and composed self in the middle of the park. The manner in which he was able to ease away from the Real Madrid players, break up play and start attacks with a simple pass through the lines. For those who are regular observers of Busquets, this was nothing new.

Somewhat unusually however, he was also barking orders at his teammates when they were out of position and pressed high up the field, often finding himself as the furthest player forward. Busquets really stepped into the role of the captain in Messi’s absence, and was a real leader throughout the match.

Barcelona might have always had these star men in the team, but to see them perform with such personality will be extremely relieving and exciting for Barca fans who would want the burden of performing in the big game to be shared.

Real show signs of life, but is it too late?

After Barcelona took an early two-goal lead in the first half, it looked as though this could be a real mauling for Real Madrid.

There was a sense of foreboding and desperation to Real’s play – no real belief in the team and the ideals. It was as though the players and manager were simply waiting for the end. The end of an era, the end of Julen Lopetegui, and the end of this cycle of success for Real.

Barcelona sensed this frailty, and after a cautious opening 20 minutes, Barcelona looked in cruise control. There was a clear contrast in styles of play between the two teams. Barcelona looked like a team that had a plan, an idea that the players all really bought into, while Real looked bereft of any desire and spirit.

A fixture that is usually tense and competitive lacked that fight and edge, especially from Real Madrid in the first half. They seemed to be giving their opponents too much respect, allowing them to play and pass the ball around, instead of fighting to control and make an impact on the game.

The second half, however, was drastically different. Lopetegui changed formations, bringing on  Lucas Vasquez and switching his team to play with a three-man defence and a stacked midfield. Suddenly Barcelona were thrown off their rhythm, and Real looked expectant.

Madrid pressed high up the field in unison, disrupting Barcelona’s passing play and making themselves a major attacking threat. After they scored early in the second half, it seemed as if they would easily go on and get a couple of more, as the momentum of the match swung drastically.

Similar to Barcelona in the first half though, Real were guilty of missing quite a few chances, Karim Benzema chief among them. Things could have turned out a lot differently had Luka Modric’s strike hit the back of the net instead of the post, but once Barcelona’s third goal went in, Madrid seemed deflated again.

The sense of resigned acceptance that hung around all throughout the first half found it’s way back, and Barcelona capitalized more ruthlessly this time.

Lopetegui will be happy with the fight his side showed in the second half, but bar those 15 minutes, Real were comprehensively outplayed. There are signs of life, but is it a symbol of rebirth, or the dying embers of period of success? Time will tell.

Barcelona have matured under Valverde

A first season that led to a domestic double would be characterized as a success for any side, but having seen Real Madrid win the Champions League for the third year in a row, many Barcelona fans were disappointed with last season.

There were calls for Valverde’s head, and a new manager – more attuned with Barca’s ideas – to be brought in.

The collapse against AS Roma was the biggest sticking point. How could a side like Barcelona collapse in such shocking fashion? Barcelona’s fragile mentality and complacency led to their ultimate demise.

Many felt this came from Valverde himself. His conservative approach to big games rubbed Barca fans the wrong way, and there was a demand for something better.

Barcelona look different this year. Structurally, they are, playing a 4-3-3 instead of a 4-4-2, but it is the shift in mentality that is key.

When Real equalized, it looked as if the ghost of last season would come back to haunt Barcelona, but their players knuckled down when the time called for it. Slowly but surely, they regained control and after the third goal went in, they seemed liberated.

Feeding off the energy of the Camp Nou, Barca attacked and scored two more in quick succession and could have had as many as 7 goals had it not been for Courtois.

Valverde deserves immense credit for improving this Barcelona team. His new signings – Clement Lenglet and Arthur – were exceptional against Real Madrid. Lenglet looks like a top, top signing already, calm, composed on the ball and technically very gifted. The maturity he shows on the ball has been lacking over the last few years, and could add another layer of control to Barca’s play.

Arthur in the meantime has been growing in confidence after getting a run of starts, and is really making himself a fan favourite at the Camp Nou. Up against, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, Arthur was composed and confident on the ball, and ran the midfield for his team.

Even Ousmane Dembele, who’s come under immense criticism in recent weeks made an impact of the bench, as did Arturo Vidal. Both players are looking to break their way into the starting 11, and showed how useful they can be coming on from the bench.

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The manner in which Valverde has managed his players, grooming in Arthur methodically, allowing Phillipe Coutinho to play freely, while also making tough decisions with Vidal and Dembele should be commended.

Valverde has suddenly created a competitive team internally.

The team also seems to believe in his ideas a bit more, having settled into this new formation seamlessly. The shift back to the 4-3-3 that brought so much success to Barcelona under both Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique has pleased a lot of fans.

Seeing their team mentally strong, however, will be a lot more gratifying.