It has been a couple of days since the incredible performance of FC Barcelona against Real Madrid in La Liga, but the excitement continues to linger on. Hansi Flick’s men ran 4-0 winners at the Santiago Bernabeu in a game that cemented their status as one of the best teams in Europe.
The best part of Barcelona on the night was how clinically they took apart Real Madrid. It was utter tactical dominance in both departments – attack and defense from the Catalan club. They held the high line perfectly and took apart the opposition’s defense through perfectly choreographed sequences.
Real Madrid at least stayed in the game in the first half with both teams still at 0-0. However, Hansi Flick made one change immediately after the break that changed the entire complexion of the game. The German coach took Fermin Lopez off and brought Frenkie de Jong on and this redefined the game.
Frenkie immediately added so much quality to the midfield. Alongside Marc Casado, the duo ran the show with Pedri ably assisting them from a slightly more advanced role. The 27-year-old Dutchman played a key role in Barcelona’s second goal, playing a beautiful over-the-top chipped ball into Balde’s path which was the pre-assist to Lewandowski’s goal.
Analyzing Frenkie’s performances further using stats from Sofa Score, an interesting story emerges. This narrative should come with the context that Frenkie played just 45-odd minutes in the game. Despite this, he outperformed Real Madrid duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham combined.
| Players | Minutes Played | Touches | Attempted Passes | Completed Passes |
| Frenkie de Jong | 45′ | 39 | 37 | 36 (97%) |
| Jude Bellingham | 90′ | 31 | 15 | 13 (87%) |
| Aurelien Tchouameni | 63′ | 24 | 15 | 13 (87%) |
During his time on the pitch, Frenkie recorded 39 touches, while both Bellingham and Tchouameni had fewer, with Bellingham managing 31 and Tchouameni 24.
Frenkie achieved a 97% pass accuracy, missing only one of his 37 attempted passes. In contrast, Bellingham and Tchouameni each completed 13 passes at an accuracy of 87%, with their combined 26 completed passes still falling short of Frenkie’s 36 completed passes.
Notably, Tchouameni played only 63 minutes, whereas Bellingham completed the full 90. However, Tchouameni did register one key pass, a feat that neither Bellingham nor Frenkie managed.
On paper, Real Madrid came into the Clasico with four midfielders compared to the three from Barcelona and should have dominated the midfield battle. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s tactics meant that for most of the game, Bellingham was shifted to the right and Camavinga to the left to help out their respective full-backs against Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.
Thus, on the field, Barcelona almost had a 3 vs 2 in midfield that was further bolstered by both Raphinha and Lamine often operating as inverted 10s, joining the midfield and creating an overload in the middle. The former in particular almost deserted the left flank for Alejandro Balde to take care of and was seen operating as a false attacking midfielder.
Stats never always tell you the full story, but in this instance, maybe they do. Carlo Ancelotti’s weird tactics meant that he could not get the best out of any of the midfielders on the pitch. Barcelona on the other hand ran riot, especially after Frenkie’s entry. The Dutchman once again showed just how good he could be if only he stayed fit. Exciting times lie ahead for the Catalan club and let’s wait and see how it pans out.
