"At the moment it's working for us" - Barcelona star hails Hansi Flick's tactics after their 4-0 win over Real Madrid
Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado has praised his manager's tactics after featuring for La Blaugrana in their convincing 4-0 win over Real Madrid. Barac beat Los Blancos in LaLiga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, October 26. The Catalan giants picked up a 10th league win in 11 matches to open up a six-point gap at the summit of the league standings.
Hansi Flick was appointed the Barcelona manager, replacing Xavi after a disappointing 2023-24 season in which they surrendered their league crown to Real Madrid. The German manager has galvanized the side and got them playing high-risk, high-reward football while using the club's academy effectively.
One of the beneficiaries of the manager's academy integration, Casado, spoke with Marca about the success of the manager's strategy this season. The 21-year-old featured from the start at the Bernabeu, contributing to his side's triumph with an assured midfield display. He said (via Goal):
"It's incredible to have the balls to have such a high defensive line. We've been doing it all season, the defensive work of this team is spectacular. It's incredible and at the moment it's working for us."
Hansi Flick made a bold choice in sticking to his high defensive line against the champions, given the amount of pace in their attack. The manager employed the tactic as his team overcame Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek and repeated the trick at the Bernabeu.
Kylian Mbappe was caught offside eight times in the game, the most a player has been caught out in Europe's top five leagues since 2018. The Frenchman had two goals ruled out for offside after the high line caught him upfield on both occasions. As a team, Real Madrid recorded 12 offsides against Barcelona, eight of which came in the first 45 minutes, also a club record.
Lamine Yamal makes El Clasico history as Barcelona down Real Madrid
Lamine Yamal wrote his name in the history books of Spain's biggest fixture with a second-half goal at the Santiago Bernabeu. The teenage sensation scored his fifth league goal of the campaign in only his 11th appearance for La Blaugrana.
Yamal rifled an effort into the roof of the net from a tight angle in the 77th minute of the encounter, making history. At just 17 years and 105 days old, the youngster became the youngest-ever player to score an El Clasico goal for either side.
Barcelona were ruthless in attack, scoring four times in the second half through Robert Lewandowski (2), Yamal, and Raphinha. They successfully ended Real Madrid's 42-game unbeaten run in LaLiga, protecting the record of 43 games they set in 2018.