Barcelona dealt Real Madrid a second devastating blow of the season on Sunday, claiming a 5-2 victory in the Spanish Super Cup final that renewed confidence in coach Hansi Flick’s leadership as it collected its first trophy in the club.
Kylian Mbappé gave Real Madrid the lead in the fifth minute. but a series of goals later in the first half gave them a 4-1 lead at half-time, while Raphinha’s second-half goal contributed to their successes. Wojciech Szczesny’s 56th-minute red card, combined with Rodrygo’s 60th-minute goal, made things slightly complicated for Barcelona, but they barely did enough damage to change their lead.
The contrasting performances were also emblematic of both teams’ seasons so far: while Barcelona appear revitalized with Flick at the helm, Real Madrid have yet to make significant strides since adding Mbappé to an already star-studded team during the summer. Although there is plenty of time left in the season, Sunday’s Super Cup final seemed a sign of how high Barcelona can fly and how much work Real Madrid has to do to get closer to last season’s success.
Here are some conclusions from the Spanish Super Cup final.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona gets it (again)
After the ups and downs of last season in Barcelona, it was really difficult to know what to expect from them this time, regardless of the new coach. Five months into Flick’s tenure, it’s safe to say hiring him was the right decision, and not just because he already has his first winner’s medal in the new job.
The German coach is getting the best out of his players, a harder task than it sometimes seems. He has the benefit of working with Lamine Yamal, a generational talent who graduated seamlessly from the academy to the first team, but the increase in productivity across the board is impressive. Lewandowski is enjoying a great campaign at 36, but the breakout star of the season is Raphinha, who now has 19 goals with his double in Sunday’s final. His success, along with the play of other younger talents such as Pau Cubarsi and Gavi, has allowed Barcelona to remain competitive despite Real Madrid’s deep pockets and their own well-documented financial difficulties.
Flick’s Barcelona have also combined good form with big wins, a crucial indicator of their trophy aspirations. They now have two multi-goal wins over Madrid this season, the first coming in October’s 4-0 rout at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, and another lopsided victory over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. This season has not always been perfect for Barcelona, but Flick’s team continues to overcome all the important tests ahead. This makes them one of the most exciting teams to watch in Europe this season and speaks volumes about the manager’s winning record.
Real Madrid’s defensive nightmare
The result was a reflection in equal parts of Barcelona’s offensive power, as well as Real Madrid’s defensive sloppiness, which was difficult to ignore on Sunday.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are not exactly known for a defence-first strategy, but players such as Antonio Rudiger, Aureline Tchouameni and Lucas Vázquez were exposed on several occasions when Barcelona outscored them by five. The rival took advantage of silly mistakes such as Eduardo Camavinga’s foul that led to a penalty, as well as the spaces left by the centre-backs (as well as the absolute inability to notice Raphinha right behind them) when the Brazilian international scored his first goal.
It is also not exactly the first time this season that Real Madrid has paid for its defensive errors. Their 4-0 defeat to Barcelona earlier this season, followed by a 3-1 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League, demonstrates a potentially worrying habit in big games, which may not bode well. for the second-place team in La Liga in a tight race for the title.
The galacticos haven’t clicked yet
Real Madrid positioned itself as an almost invincible team last season by winning the national title and the Champions League, surviving imperfections thanks to an effective group of scorers that would get them out of trouble. With Mbappé in tow this season, it seemed like Madrid were simply leveling up a winning strategy, but halfway through the campaign, things haven’t exactly changed in their favor.
On the one hand, players like Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have done well this season and were tied on Sunday in Jeddah. They haven’t exactly found a way to repeat last season’s trick of scoring on days when Real Madrid didn’t deserve to win, and they are just some members of an attack that has struggled on several occasions this season. After Mbappé’s goal, for example, they didn’t get much in terms of attacking chances and Rodrygo’s goal came from a set piece that Szczesny conceded after receiving a red card. They tried to attack more when they played 11 against 10, but Barcelona’s defensive strategy meant that Real Madrid could do little.
Los Blancos’ high-profile attack has a surprising habit of going quiet this season, as evidenced by October’s loss to Barcelona and Champions League defeat to Lille. It seems that the other shoe has finally dropped for an unbalanced Madrid, which could cost them in their quest to win trophies this season.
