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The match represented almost a flawless performance for Real Madrid, who beat Barca two goals to one in El Clasico and increase the gap at the summit of La Liga to five points.

The English midfielder got his first goal in the league along with key pass this term following a challenging period recovering from shoulder surgery.

Kylian Mbappe maintained his lethal performance when scoring, while the coach's game plan in his first El Clasico as coach worked like a charm.

Yet the Brazilian's situation came to the forefront once more.

Dissatisfied at being substituted, Vinicius protested on his way straight past his manager before headed off the pitch, then returning to the bench several minutes.

Manager's Approach Delivers Results for the Midfielder

In his first derby, Alonso did well, considering the majority of Real's previous eight coaches lost their debut La Liga match with Barca.

After the player-focused approach from the previous coach failed to get results last season, Alonso's positional game-model yielded a significant outcome.

A specialist commented, The strategy worked brilliantly. The home side were impressive, and Barca didn't play well because of the home team's approach.”

Defensively, they pushed up as much as possible, and if they were beaten, they retreated in a structured manner, everybody including the forward.”

The team's shape with two banks spaced by five to 10 metres. Barca were unable to break through.”

This approach looks to be good news for the midfielder, who previously was essentially asked to cover multiple roles in the engine room and additional duties.

On paper the 22-year-old was positioned on the right, but actually he could to move centrally and assist the attack or crash the penalty area.

The expert stated, With the French midfielder in the center, you get greater energy and additional options to block the channels.”

This led to them to put Jude wide right. Undoubtedly his role included to track the forward's positioning on the ball and had space, connecting with him repeatedly.”

He was told to move into the penalty area and position himself near the edge of the box, where he is very dangerous. Additionally, he moved centrally to block central spaces creating the opponent's play tough.”

Strained Relations Laid Bare

There's no doubting that Madridistas are fond of the Brazilian, calls for him was chanted multiple times by an enthusiastic Madrid fans.

But recently there were numerous stories lately that the club would consider allowing his departure if an attractive proposal were to come in.

Vinicius will have a year left under his current terms at the end of the campaign, yet discussions on a renewal are at a standstill.

The player's reaction after coming off in the second half indicated tension. Post-game, he had to be restrained as he tried to approach the Barcelona player.

The analyst said, “Everyone will have a go at him for good reason, as it demonstrated disrespect toward his replacement who came on for him.”

“But since being a kid, his life has been amid adversity, and perceives that the world is hostile.”

Such thinking is hard to change, particularly since you consider yourself close to being the best player, then the club redirects attention towards Mbappe as the key figure.”

During this campaign he believes that the club has not supported him. Reports suggest, potentially club-sourced, or not denied by the club, that they wouldn't be unhappy if someone paid a quarter-billion euros for him and sell him.”

“He feels all that, and after the coach substituted him – reasonably, since he wasn't defending as required – in Vinicius' head he thinks ‘why me, why me again?.”

“It will be difficult to build a bridge with the club and Vinicius at the moment.”

Barca's Approach “Crumbles”

After winning each of the last season's Clasicos, the latest display highlighted Barca's shaky start to the campaign.

Injuries have robbed the manager of important stars such as Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo, and the tactical setup is failing in their absence.

Balague said, “It's like the whole team is a little bit less sharp when not in possession, not as eager to regain possession, less aggressive to get the possession back.”

They are more vulnerable to break them down. If the defensive line is not organized, as it wasn't Mbappe's strike as Balde failed to step up, they receive little support by teammates not closing down those on the ball as expected.”

The young talent, the main threat earlier, was neutralized.

Key players were below par. Lamine doesn't feel like in top condition, perhaps he's suffering from groin problems