Barcelona faced Real Madrid at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, also known as the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, for the 35th fixture of La Liga.
The match ended 4-3 for the Blaugrana.
This was a roller-coaster of goals, especially during the first half.
Barcelonas outstanding attacking performance was countered by Real Madrid’s efforts to equalise, but unfortunately, Kylian Mbappé’s three goals were not enough for them to keep their title hopes alive.
With this crucial win, Barcelona are getting very close to lifting their 28th La Liga trophy with 82 points so far, while Real Madrid remain in second with 75 points.
In this tactical analysis article, we will explore Barcelona’s efficient attacking performance and how they succeeded in exploiting Real Madrid’s defensive mistakes while identifying what went wrong for Los Merengues in both the attacking and defensive phases.
Barcelona Vs Real Madrid Lineups & Formations
Hansi Flick started the match according to the 4-2-3-1 formation with Wojciech Szczęsny as a goalkeeper, Eric García as a right-back, Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez as centre-backs, with Gerard Martín playing as a left-back.
Like in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Inter Milan, the midfield was composed of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong as central midfielders, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha as wingers, Dani Olmo as an advanced playmaker, with the main striker being Ferran Torres.
As the game went on, Flick had to make several changes to his initial squad, introducing Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Andreas Christensen, Fermín López, and Héctor Fort.
Carlo Ancelotti also started the match according to the 4-2-3-1 formation with Thibaut Courtois as a goalkeeper, Lucas Vázquez as a right-back, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Raúl Asencio as centre-backs, and Fran García as a left-back.
In midfield, Ancelotti used both Dani Ceballos and Federico Valverde as central midfielders, Jude Bellingham as an advanced playmaker, Vinícius Júnior and Arda Güler as wingers, with Mbappé as the team’s main striker.
Giving little playing time to someone like Brahim Díaz in this match and during the season overall is problematic, as Díaz proved on many occasions that he can represent a valuable asset, especially in terms of linking the team’s midfield and attack, helping have more possession, and piercing with the ball whenever possible.
It was understandable to play a veteran player like Luka Modrić during the second half, as his passing quality could have made the difference for Real Madrid.
Later, Ancelotti subbed in Endrick and Víctor Muñoz but kept Rodrygo on the bench.
Ancelotti can be blamed for his second-half management of changes.
He could have done better to make Real Madrid capable of equalising and score the winning goal.
However, taking more risks could have also led to a catastrophic result since Barcelona remained dangerous in the second half and create more problems for Real Madrid.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid La Liga 20242025 - Full Analysis
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Line-ups
Barcelona Successful Set-Piece Strategy
During this match, Barcelona were capable of creating a lot of danger whether from open-play or from set-pieces, and in both cases, Barcelona showed that they were prepared for this encounter despite the impact of the previous tiring match against Inter Milan.
In terms of set-pieces, Barcelona had 10 corners with four shots and four free-kicks with one shot.
Wh
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