Mourinho’s Real Madrid expose new questions for Flick’s Barcelona

Barcelona’s dominance in El Clasico can no longer be guaranteed simply by imposing Hansi Flick’s familiar approach, after Real Madrid showed they are becoming better equipped to deal with the German’s tactics.

Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou in the latest meeting, with their performance prompting Mundo Deportivo to compare the way the club handled Flick under Jose Mourinho, Xabi Alonso and Carlo Ancelotti.

The Spanish newspaper said the comparison showed a clear improvement in Real Madrid’s ability to cope with Barcelona from one match to the next, particularly against their high defensive line.

“Real Madrid no longer fall into Hansi Flick’s offside trap as easily as before, while Mourinho also managed to reduce Barcelona’s possession,” Mundo Deportivo reported. “These are signs that the team has developed from one meeting to another, compared with the periods under Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso.”

Flick has lost only two of his eight El Clasico meetings with Real Madrid in all competitions. One of those defeats came against Alonso’s side at Santiago Bernabeu exactly a year ago, when Real Madrid won 2-1. The other was against the Real Madrid team managed by Mourinho in the latest match.

The statistics underline the change in Real Madrid’s response to Barcelona’s offside strategy. In the 26 October 2024 meeting, Ancelotti’s players were caught offside 12 times as they lost 0-4.

That figure fell to one in the Spanish Super Cup final two months later, although Barcelona won that match. In the only Clasico against Alonso, Real Madrid were flagged offside five times, before the number dropped to three in the latest game under Mourinho.

The figures suggest Real Madrid have learned to adapt to Barcelona’s defensive system. Their progress was not limited to finding ways around the advanced back line, with Mourinho also reducing Barcelona’s control of the ball despite his approach being theoretically more defensive than Alonso’s.

Real Madrid’s share of possession increased from 31.5% against Barcelona a year ago to 37.8% in the latest Clasico. Their passing total also rose from 274 to 380, following the inclusion of Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler.

Mundo Deportivo said the numbers presented Barcelona with a clear challenge as their opponents continue to develop solutions to Flick’s system.

“Barcelona must also improve their performance as their rivals evolve and find ways to counter their style, so that their usual strengths do not become a formula that Real Madrid can deal with easily,” the newspaper concluded.