Kovacic, Suarez, Ter Stegen: 5 things we learned from El Clasico

Barcelona accelerated towards yet another LaLiga title with a 3-0 El Clasico triumph over Spanish champions Real Madrid at Bernabeu.

Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and substitute Aleix Vidal dealt the damage to a Real side who had Dani Carvajal sent off.

Here, we take a look at what we learned from the one-sided showdown.

 

The day the title was won?

We are only in December and more than half of the league campaign lies ahead but, having opened up a 14-point gap on the title holders, Barca look well placed to push on and claim their fourth crown in five years. Such is the scale of Real’s drift this season they sit behind city rivals Atletico Madrid and Valencia, with Sevilla hot on their heels and likely to benefit from a bounce when Eduardo Berizzo’s successor is appointed. These are worrying times for Zinedine Zidane, and perhaps only another Champions League trophy can convince the board he remains the right man to lead the capital club.

 

Suarez hitting his straps again

 

When Neymar left Barca for Paris St Germain in the summer there were concerns Suarez would struggle to assume the increased workload as he was already one of the most industrious players in the squad. His extra duties in the engine room had restricted him to just five LaLiga goals before December, but his go-ahead goal in El Clasico was his fifth in four matches, signalling a timely return to greatness for the feisty Uruguayan.

 

Tremendous Ter Stegen

 

Both goalkeepers were on top in the first half, although Keylor Navas was largely a bystander as Real enjoyed a number of opportunities at the other end. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who still has a modest profile on the world stage despite his exploits with Barca, kept Cristiano Ronaldo out and forced Karim Benzema to head against a post. His excellent distribution abetted the Catalan revival following the break and he coolly denied Gareth Bale when the Welshman came knocking after the hour mark.

 

Discipline hurts Real once more

Carvajal’s dismissal was the fourth for a Real player in the last seven Clasico clashes, including the two legs of this year’s Supercopa. Sergio Ramos has walked twice but the Real captain kept a cooler head on this occasion. Unfortunately it was his defensive team-mate Carvajal who let Los Blancos down in this latest encounter, his unnecessary handball conceding a penalty that Messi was never going to miss. Until Real can sort their discipline out in this vital fixture, they will be up against it.

 

Kovacic deserves more opportunities

Former Inter Milan midfielder Mateo Kovacic has found his opportunities at the Bernabeu limited this term, previously featuring only three times in the league. But boss Zidane likes using him in El Clasico as he adds defensive steel to the middle of the park, and on Saturday he was preferred to Isco. The Croatian was perhaps the best player in the first half, nullifying Messi and Suarez and dictating the pace as Ronaldo and Benzema were allowed to take their time to find openings.

 

By Press Association Sport