Real Madrid won 3-1 in the first Clásico of the 2022/23 LaLiga Santander season. Carlo Ancelotti’s team were the favorites before the match, but the ease with which he won shows the gulf between the two giants.
Barcelona have vastly improved since their heartbreaking 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in 2020.
Xavi Hernández has the team playing a style of football more in tune with the Blaugrana traditions. However, continued failure in the Champions League increased the pressure on Los Cules ahead of Sunday’s Clasico.
The result shows the advantage of Real Madrid
Barcelona arrived at the Bernabéu at the top of the LaLiga Santander table. Xavi’s training has been brilliant from a domestic point of view.
However, once his Barcelona team was on the same pitch as Real Madrid, the abyss was apparent.
Los Blancos never really had to get out of second gear. They just had better, safer players all over the field.
As good as Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha can be in their day, Vinicius Jr is a level above.
Karim Benzema is the best center forward in the world at the moment and nobody is playing better than Federico Valverde.
Despite Ancelotti positioning him as a right winger, the Uruguayan’s all-action style has been a game changer in Madrid.
The starting eleven of Real Madrid does not have the stars of before. There is no Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká or Luis Figo. However, the players there are almost the perfect unit of the team.
The work that Ancelotti has done in bringing this team together will probably be one of his most important achievements.
In all positions on the pitch, Real Madrid had better players than Barcelona, and that hadn’t happened for years.
With this in mind, Barcelona never stood a chance on Sunday.
Barcelona fans need perspective
Losing a Clasico is painful. really painful. It can have the potential to derail an entire season. However, Barcelona should be pleased with their progress with Xavi in the lead.
Success wasn’t going to come overnight, regardless of her summer spending. The team and the club needed a structural reset and the results of such a plan do not show quickly.
Coming out of the Champions League group stage is frustrating, but Barcelona fans need perspective.
Real Madrid was always going to win the Clásico on Sunday. They are in the optimal moment of a team, they have passed the difficult post-Ronaldo and have come out stronger.
Their midfield is mixed with veteran and young stars who will be the best in 2-3 years. Barcelona has Pedri, who could be the best in the group, but he is not yet ready to win a match like the Clásico.
The result of the Clásico should not be a surprise
There is currently an abyss between the two biggest clubs in Spain. This is not news. The expectations placed on Barcelona have been too high. People forget the mess they found themselves in after the catastrophic era of Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Joan Laporta is flashy, arrogant and irritating, but he has the best interests of the Barcelona soccer team in mind.
This means that Xavi will be supported and with time. Barcelona is now on the right track. Results like Sunday’s defeat in the Clásico will hurt, and there will be more. However, short memories will forget that it was the Catalans who humiliated their fierce rivals in the not too distant past.
Real Madrid is a better soccer team right now. They will win LaLiga Santander this year and with good reason. Florentino Pérez has built a team that is poised for future success.
Barcelona need to accept that and understand that their time will come again, even if they are in tremendous pain right now.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
