5 Outtakes from the El Clasico

The El Clasico is behind us. Barcelona triumphed over Real Madrid in an emphatic 5-1 victory. Luis Suarez claimed the match ball after a wonderful hat-trick, he was helped by Arturo Vidal and Philipe Coutinho who scored one each.

Real Madrid's only goal came from Marcelo early in the second half. This was the first El Clasico without either Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo since 2007 and we saw conclusive proof that a Messi less Barcelona is better than a Ronaldo less Real Madrid.

As with every game, several observations were made during the 90 minutes of play. Many players proved their worth, while some clearly were struggling to find their groove. Let us look at five major observations from the Clasico.

#5 Two of the best left backs in the world

Among all the player rivalries among Barcelona and Real Madrid, one rivalry that goes overlooked is between Jordi Alba and Marcelo. The two left backs are among two of the best in their positions. They proved their worth throughout the game, especially Marcelo who is easily the best left back in the world at this moment.

Alba started the game strong as he darted down the left side with furious intent. He assisted Coutinho for the opening goal of the match after Coutinho burst into the relatively empty Real Madrid box. Alba was instrumental in the second goal as well as he found Suarez with a wonderful cross. This cross led to Varane giving away a penalty and Barca going 2-0 up.

Marcelo had shown flashes of brilliance in the first half but it was in the second half that he came to life. He was easily Madrid's most threatening player on the pitch and he got himself a goal as well after finding a rebound in the box and scoring with his weaker right foot. Real Madrid had switched to a more attacking formation in the 2nd half allowing Marcelo to go higher up the pitch. His impact was felt when he was forced off due to an injury and Real Madrid's midfield completely collapsed after this.