Islam Bouafif 🇹🇳🇵🇸

1/Lineup Flick adhered to the saying, "If it’s not broke, don’t fix it," by keeping the same lineup that secured a 2-0 victory against Bilbao. Nine of the starting spots were almost guaranteed, but there were uncertainties regarding the goalkeeper and the third midfielder.

For the midfield position, Flick opted for Gavi over Olmo, which made sense given Gavi’s recent form and the fact that Olmo hadn’t started in the last 3 games. Gavi’s intensity provided the defensive balance the team needed, outweighing Olmo’s creativity in this particular match

As for the GK, the decision between Szczesny and Peña went in favour of Szczesny. While I agreed with this choice before the game, I must admit it turned out to be a mistake. Against a team like Real Madrid with pacy forwards, a sweeper keeper is crucial when playing a high line.

1/First Half Ancelotti approached this game with a low/mid-block defensive strategy, avoiding a high press likely due to lessons learned from their previous 4-0 loss. His plan was clearly to let Barça control possession and rely on counters using Madrid’s fast attacking trio.

However things didn't go as he expected, as barca barely lost possession in defence or midfield because Ancelotti exaggerated the idea of not pressing, giving total freedom to our CBs and not even closing the passing lanes to our pivots or pressing them.

He essentially handed us total control, which helped our players remain physically fresher, so in the rare occasion where possession was lost, we were able to implement intense counter-pressing preventing them from creating a lot of dangerous counters as they only created one.

Flick's pressing structure also made it impossible for them to build any attack from behind, as Yamal and Rapha led the high aggressive press with Gavi and Lewy backing them up while Koundé and Balde pushed high on the flanks which is a very risky structure if they beat it.

Despite the risks of this approach, Flick likely anticipated Madrid’s limitations in buildup: no ball-playing keeper, no controller in midfield, and error-prone fullbacks. So he probably expected madrid to just rely on ineffective long balls, which is exactly what happened.

But what we've been talking about so far is how barca managed to control the game, keep the ball and prevent madrid from attacking the spaces we left behind, but how did we turn that control and possession into danger, how did we manage to beat Real Madrid's low block ?

Real Madrid defended in a 4-2-3-1 structure. Vinícius tracked Kounde, while Rodrygo covered Balde, leaving Bellingham and Mbappé to apply occasional "pressure" on our CBs. This defensive setup left Camavinga and Valverde often in 2v3 situations against Pedri, Casado, and Gavi.

Even when Bellingham didn't go up and stayed in midfield, we saw either Lewandowksi dropping deep to drag Camavinga with him him and free up Gavi from marking or we also saw Raphinha going central to force Valverde to mark him and free up Pedri.

So we always had that numerical advantage in midfield and the player on the ball wasn't only free from high press but also always had a free option(s) to pass to very easily which led to a total midfield domination and a very easy central progression

More importantly barca tried to capitalize on madrid weak side, their right side, Raphinha’s fluid movement caused miscommunication between Rodrygo and Vázquez. As Raphinha alternated between wide and central positions, freeing up Balde to attack the vacated space.

Raphina also capitalized on the horrible marking from both players on his side (Tchouameni and Vazquez) with the big space between them he was always ended up free when a cross was played from Kounde or Gavi, leading to two dangerous headers, one of which resulted in a goal.

Even with our focus on their right side, we also attacked well on their left flank, despite Ancelotti’s intent to isolate Yamal in a 1v2 situation with Camavinga and Mendy, Flick ensured support from Kounde and especially Gavi who was always dragging Cama with his smart movement

We also saw the same clever combination from last game where Gavi drags Camavinga wide, creating space in Madrid’s midfield. Lewy exploited this gap, forcing Rüdiger to follow him and opening a further gap in Madrid’s defense, which Yamal capitalized on for Barcelona's first goal

After our third goal, we eased the pressing, allowing Madrid slightly longer possession spells. However, the midfield press remained strong, denying Madrid opportunities to build meaningful attacks and also slightly reducing the high line to prevent any dangerous long balls.

While Madrid pushed forward and left more defensive gaps, we relied on counters and direct plays to exploit their high line, and especially the spaces left from Vazquez on the right side, This led to a fourth goal, capping off an outstanding first half with a dominant 4-1 lead.

This half was a masterclass in tactical execution by Flick. Barça’s ability to control possession, press effectively, and exploit Madrid’s defensive frailties resulted in a near-flawless display, with the only blemish being Madrid’s lone counterattack that led to a goal.

2/Second Half Real Madrid, trailing by three goals, shifted to a high press in an attempt to recover the game. However, their pressing was neither well-constructed nor particularly intense, allowing Barcelona to consistently bypass it and maintain control.

A crucial factor in countering their man-to-man press was the positional fluidity of our midfielders. One notable sequence involved Pedri and Casado swapping positions, which freed Casado to deliver a perfectly timed pass to Raphinha, leading to Barca’s fifth goal.

Defensively, just like the game against Bilbao we saw the great defensive adjustments continue, relying less on the offside trap. For instance, when Bellingham attempted runs in behind, the defenders opted to track back and outpace him rather than step up for an offside.

The game’s dynamics changed significantly following Szczęsny’s red card, which allowed Real Madrid to immediately score a second goal and left Barca down to 10 men with over 30 minutes remaining. Flick reacted quickly by introducing Dani Olmo and Peña for Gavi and Yamal.

We shifted into a 4-4-1 defensive shape. Despite being a man down, Barca defended exceptionally well, with Pedri and Casado cutting off passing lanes in midfield, Olmo and Raphinha supporting their fullbacks to prevent wide threat and the entire team showing great discipline.

i'm not gonna lie i felt like the Yamal sub was a little rushed after they scored their second goal, with more than 30 minutes left to play with 10 men i thought we could use a difference make like him, but it didn't really matter as we defended really well and didn't concede.

But we did not merely sit back we focused on retaining the ball to buy time and frustrate their opponents. Pedri and Olmo played vital roles in maintaining possession under pressure with their technical ability, while Lewa’s hold-up play and dominance in aerials proved invaluable

The game was basically done after our fifth goal, and even with a red card Real Madrid never came close to staging a comeback, but the numerical advantage saved them from conceding more goals.

4/Conclusion: This performance was a testament to Flick's tactical acumen, showcasing his ability to adapt and solve challenges while staying true to his core principles. The team's balance of discipline, creativity, and intensity highlighted the fruits of his efforts.

As well as the players' dedication to executing his vision. This victory is a well-deserved reward for the hard work of both the manager and the squad, and it serves as a promising foundation for what could be the first of many trophies to come under Flick’s guidance.

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