Monday 28 March 2016 07:33, UK
Barcelona hammered Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu in November with a performance which boss Luis Enrique said would go down in history.
A double from Luis Suarez and further goals from Neymar and Andres Iniesta humiliated the hosts and moved Barca six points clear at the top of La Liga. They did it without Lionel Messi for much of the game too, with the Argentina ace only making his return from injury 57 minutes in.
A rash challenge from Isco, which saw him sent off, capped a miserable night for the hosts and the Madrid fans jeered Real boss Rafa Benitez before the full-time whistle was even blown.
But how did Barca pull off the victory? And what went so wrong for Real Madrid?
Here, ahead of Saturday's El Clasico, we look back at the first meeting between the sides this season and pick out the key factors in Barcelona's remarkable win…
Team selection
Ahead of the match there was intense speculation on whether Messi would return from a knee problem to take on Real Madrid and his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Ultimately, Messi started on the bench and Sergi Roberto was given a chance to impress. But it was the team selection of hosts Real Madrid which proved to be more decisive.
Benitez opted to drop defensive midfielder Casemiro to make way for James Rodriguez. It left Real unbalanced and unable to boss the midfield battle. Jamie Carragher was unimpressed with the selection and suggested it was an uncharacteristic move from Benitez.
"That's not a team Rafa would pick," Carragher said when analysing the game on Monday Night Football. "Either the people above him have got involved or maybe he's bowed to media pressure or the players, I just don't know.
"You look at the team and he's not gone in with a holding midfield player - Rafa would normally play two. His best player this season has been Casemiro and he's left him out. I don't know if there's something where he's maybe getting pressure from the owner - 'we've bought these big stars and they need to play' - and he's said 'ok let's play them against Barcelona, that's what happens. You see the results'."
Attitude from Real's players
While the balance of the Real team may not have been right, what can't be denied is they fielded and XI bursting with quality. The problem was their application. There was a clear split in the Real Madrid team between attack and defence, with the hosts' seemingly playing a 4-2-4 for much of the game. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were left exposed in midfield and Barcelona were able to capitalise.
"They looked like the team had broken in two," Carragher said. "There was a big gap between attack and defence and it was a bit like watching a Sunday league game. People just waiting up front. We're talking about world class stars. There was no intensity.
"Your nightmare as a player, as a midfield two, is playing against Barcelona and your front four aren't willing to help you out. What can be worse than that?"
This type of game is not about the tactics. At one point you need to bring the desire and the right commitment on the field and the right intensity. It wasn't there at all [from Real Madrid].
Thierry Henry was equally unimpressed with the attitude from Real's players and said that their failure to apply themselves appropriately left Benitez no way to influence the encounter.
"This type of game is not about the tactics," the former Barcelona forward told Sky Sports. "At one point you need to bring the desire and the right commitment on the field and the right intensity. It wasn't there at all [from Real Madrid]. You can't play a Clasico like that.
"People are going to talk about Benitez and the tactics but the tactics come along when both teams' desire and commitment is there and the game is tight. Then the boss will have to trigger one, two or three things to see who's going to be the best boss. But if your team goes out there without the right desire or commitment it becomes really difficult for the coach.
"I'm not trying to find any excuses for Benitez but first and foremost you need to bring the desire on the field. You saw a team on one side and on the other side you see a group of players playing for themselves and not being a team at the moment. It was a collective thing. At the end of the day he's [Benitez] going to maybe take the blame. They ultimately failed as a team today. They didn't play well."
Barcelona's brilliance
While much of the post-game reaction focused on Real Madrid's shortcomings and the impact the result would have on Benitez's future, Barcelona's exceptional performance should not be overlooked.
Suarez was clinical in attack, converting two of his four shots, while Neymar conjured up twice as many key passes as any other player on the pitch. Ivan Rakitic didn't misplace a single pass in Real's half, Sergio Busquets racked up more tackles than anyone else and Gerard Pique was imperious at the back. All in all, it was a superb team performance from the visitors.
"I don't think Real Madrid gave up, I just think we were a level above them," was Barca boss Enrique's clinical assessment of the contest. "We outnumbered them in many areas of the game and we were very effective. The game is more of a reflection of our merits than Madrid's faults.
"This victory tastes glorious because it is against our eternal rivals and, as well as the victory, it will be very difficult for us to better this performance. This game will go down in history; it will be remembered by all Barcelona fans. This squad won the treble last year and it is one of the best squads you could hope for."
Barcelona's commitment
For all of Barcelona's eye-catching play, Henry was also keen to highlight their remarkable work rate when they didn't have the ball.
Real Madrid recorded a far worse passing accuracy to their rivals (82.6 v 90.2 per cent) and managed just 41.4 per cent of possession. The Catalans' intense pressing gave Benitez's men no time on the ball.
"People always talk about when Barcelona have the ball and how they pass the ball well but they put pressure on, the back line is backing up the midfielders and striker to put pressure on," said Henry.
"The distances are right between the players. They never give up, they help each other. You even saw Busquets in the 91st minute making a foul. It could have been 4-1 but no, 4-0. The discipline and intensity is key for that team.
"When you see the likes of Suarez working hard, Neymar working hard, Andres Iniesta working hard, it speaks volumes to the other guys to be better. We don't emphasise enough how Barca is good in those type of situations."
Contrasting performances from star performers
Barcelona's brilliance is built on more than just one man and in the previous nine games, with injured Messi absent, Enrique's side had won seven. At the Bernabeu, with the Argentine benched, attacking duo Suarez and Neymar stepped up and delivered once again.
The pair scored 18 goals during Messi's absence and, with him watching from the dugout, added three more to their tally against Real. Suarez's opener after 11 minutes concluded a brilliant 24-pass team move.
For Real, Ronaldo could easily have made his way onto the scoresheet had it not been for two brilliant stops from Claudio Bravo - but the hosts' key man was unable to influence proceedings as he would have liked. Ronaldo only managed two shots at goal in the entire game and produced just one pass leading to a shooting opportunity.
While he struggled, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez failed to make their mark, too. The trio only managed to work Bravo four times between them.
The performance of the latter three players raises questions about whether they were physically ready for the intensity of a Clasico, given they had all been sidelined with injury in the weeks leading up to the game. Since the start of October Real Madrid played seven games but of the 1890 minutes the trio could have racked up, they had managed just 309.
Gareth Bale was the only one to have played a full 90 minutes in that time. He did it just once, in Real's 3-2 defeat to Sevilla in the previous game. In short, most of Real's key attackers were undercooked.
