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It was almost an ideal day for Xabi Alonso's squad, who overcame Barcelona 2-1 during the Clasico and extend the gap at the summit of La Liga by five points.

Bellingham notched his first league goal along with key pass this campaign following a tough few months healing from surgery on his shoulder.

The French forward showed his deadly touch in attack, while the manager's strategy during his debut El Clasico as coach worked like a charm.

But then the Vinicius Junior question emerged again once more.

Unhappy at being substituted, the star forward complained on his way right by his manager and marched off the pitch, before returning on the sidelines several minutes.

Manager's Approach Yields Success for the Midfielder

As first Clasicos go, it was a solid start, considering seven of Madrid's recent managers lost their first La Liga encounter with Barca.

After the laissez-faire style under Ancelotti failed to get results earlier, the new tactical system delivered an important victory.

A specialist commented, His plan was perfect. Madrid performed excellently, while Barca were off-color due to the home team's approach.”

When not in possession, they pressed high consistently, if overcome, they retreated with discipline, everybody including Vinicius.”

Their defensive setup in two layers spaced by five to 10 metres. Barca struggled to penetrate.”

The new system appears to be beneficial for the midfielder, as he last season had been tasked to carry the midfield in the engine room and additional duties.

On paper the 22-year-old started wide right, but actually he could to drift inward and either assist the attack or crash the penalty area.

Balague continued, Employing the French midfielder in central midfield, it brings increased movement and additional options to close down the passing lanes.”

This led to the team to deploy Bellingham on the right-hand side. Undoubtedly he would have been asked to track the forward's positioning in possession and had space, and he found him repeatedly.”

He was told to get into the box and position himself near the outskirts of the area, his most effective zone. He also drifted in to block central spaces and cause the opponent's play tough.”

Vinicius Tensions Revealed

Undoubtedly that supporters are fond of the Brazilian, calls for him rang out multiple times by the passionate Bernabeu crowd.

But there have been numerous stories in recent months that the club might think about letting him leave if the right offer was made.

He will have one season to go on his contract at the end of the campaign, yet negotiations for an extension have stalled.

The player's reaction after coming off with 20 minutes left indicated strained relations. When the match ended, he was held back as he attempted to confront the Barcelona player.

The expert said, Many will criticize him and rightly so, as it demonstrated a lack of respect for the substitute who came on for him.”

However, from a young age, his life has been in a hostile world, and perceives that he faces opposition.”

“That mentality is hard to change, particularly since you believe near number one in the world, but the team shifts the focus towards Mbappe as the key figure.”

“This season he has perceived that Real Madrid is not defending him. There are stories, possibly leaked by the club, or not denied by the club, that they would be open an offer worth 250m euros for him and allow him to leave.”

“He feels all that, and when he was taken off – reasonably, since he wasn't defending as expected – to him he questions why single me out?’.”

“It will be difficult to mend relations between the club and him at the moment.”

Their System “Struggles”

Having triumphed in all four of previous campaign's matches, the latest display was emblematic of Barcelona's unconvincing start to the campaign.

Injuries have deprived the Barcelona coach of important stars such as Raphinha, Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, and the approach isn't working without them.

The expert commented, “It's like the whole team is a little bit less sharp defensively, less hungry to recover it, less aggressive to reclaim the ball.”

Opponents find it simpler to break them down. When the backline is not organized, as it wasn't the first goal as Balde kept him onside, the midfield doesn't assist from the attack not challenging opponents in possession as expected.”

Lamine Yamal, who troubled Madrid earlier, was well contained.

Key players weren't at their best. Lamine doesn't feel like in top condition, possibly because of groin problems