Alonso s courage forged Real Madrid s victory - Carreras was alive on his El Clasico debut

Xabi Alonso found the perfect solution to restrain Flick's team. In this high-profile La Liga match at the weekend, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 - if not for some bad luck, Real Madrid might have turned the victory into a big victory. This kind of suppressive victory has been a long time coming for Real Madrid.

Yes, Real Madrid showed rare persuasiveness when facing the Catalan team. That praise should not be discounted by the opposition's woes - plagued by injuries (although missing two or three key players is not uncommon in modern football) and Hansi Flick's absence from the sidelines due to suspension.

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At first glance, Alonso's formation is suspicious - as if the Spanish coach is going to repeat Ancelotti's mistake last season and try to compete with Barcelona using open offensive tactics.

A high defensive line, a large open space behind you, and all the risks that come with it.

But facts have proven that Alonso's use of troops can be called bold and careful, which is completely different from Ancelotti's adventure last year.

First of all, the starting lineup can be seen. He did not follow the system where the front trident is partially separated from the defense, but used a double forward combination of Vinicius and Mbappe. In the midfield, Alonso deployed two deep-lying midfielders (Camavinga and Chuameni), the tireless Bellingham, and Guler who organized the team from behind - just like a new generation of Kroos. The absence of Rodrigo or Mastontuono has maintained the delicate balance of the lineup.

Secondly, Real Madrid's oppression is not a bluff, but an efficient and sharp pressing system. It was through this kind of pressure that they created goals that were blown away by VAR and created multiple threats. This is thanks to Alonso's honing of the pressing system throughout the season, rather than improvising.

However, the most critical factor is Alvaro Carreras - the left back is the new signing signed by Alonso for 50 million euros. His role in his El Clasico debut became the most noteworthy highlight of the game. Carreras is an important support for Real Madrid's courage to adopt an open style of play, because Alonso does not need to adjust the overall layout to restrict Yamal.

The coach has complete trust in Carreras to mark Barcelona's star player one-on-one - and the facts have proven that this trust is correct.

In the first half, Real Madrid's defensive positioning when Barcelona attacked was amazing. Carreras is often left alone in the open space to face Yamal, even if the opponent may send a diagonal pass at any time to pose a threat:

He may even face a one versus two situation.

In contrast, Camavinga, who was originally good at assisting defense, was deployed on the right... specifically to mark Rashford and Balde, providing cover for Valverde, who was a guest fullback. On the left, although Guler often retreats to assist, his off-ball defensive ability is not stable and it is difficult to build an ideal barrier for Carreras.

In the end, Yamal was almost invisible. Carreras froze the talented youngster like a shadow.

Most of Yamal's breakthrough attempts ended in losing the ball or passing back. Perhaps we should consider that his condition is not at his best - he is recovering from injury, he is under pressure at the Bernabeu after showing off his skills before the game, or he lacks his usual attacking partner. But this game convinced Alonso: Carreras has the ability to independently compete with top wingers, without the need for additional defense to cause tactical imbalance.

Using Yamal to attract the focus of defense and then attack other spaces is a common tactic of Barcelona. Post-match data confirmed this: Yamal's confrontation success rate was 50%, his dribble success rate was 50% (only twice in 90 minutes he got rid of Carreras cleanly), and he lost the ball 22 times. The numbers aren't a disaster, but they're far from what a Ballon d'Or runner-up should be.

At the end of the game, the Barcelona coaching staff even moved Yamal away from the right and tried to let him organize in the middle. The move worked for a time - he played a brilliant pass for Conde, but the Frenchman failed to capitalize on the opportunity. It is worth noting that Carreras did not lose his position during this defense.

So, does Real Madrid finally have its own Nuno Mendes? At least that's what fans eagerly claimed after the game.