After a 2-1 comeback win over Real Madrid at home, Barca beat their arch-rival for the third time in 63 days. It was Barca's 100th win in the national derby, while leading Real Madrid in La Liga to 12 points.
Xavi understood the key points of Real Madrid at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, accurately found the winner and loser, and winning was the natural result.
01. Araujo vs Venicius: This is the basis for 4 wins in 5 games
a. 4 of the last 5 wins: the only one was Araujo's absence
Not only this game, but Barca have won four of the last five times against Real Madrid, and the aggregate score of these four games can reach 10-2 because of the use of Araujo against Venicius at right-back.
The only 3-1 defeat away was precisely in Araujo's absence. Because of Real Madrid's attack, the key point is the starting speed of the wing. Whether Venicius can bring it up determines whether Real Madrid's overall rhythm can be smooth.
In the previous 3 wins, Venicius was completely limited by Araujo.
Because of his superiority in strength and speed, Araujo is not afraid of the opponent's internal cut, and at the same time can frequently find physical confrontations.
Even as a right-back, Araujo ran with Venicius.
After the position on the wing was given to Rafinha to fill the position, he even went to the middle to do one-on-one, so that the other party could not dodge.
After Venicius was restricted, or completely matched, Real Madrid's attacking tempo was stuck.
If you can't play speed, you can't create counter-attack depth, and Benzema's running position can not be reflected, and Real Madrid's attack will be inefficient.
b. Real Madrid have changed: Venicius is a bit more threatening
In soccer, a single move is used all the time, and the effect tends to be weaker and weaker. The threat of Venicius is much greater than before, because of their adjustments in detail.
Of course, the improvement was still limited, with Venicius making one own goal and delivering two key passes, while winning only six of his 14 one-on-one encounters and conceding 20 possessions.
A key change was for Venicius to attack the combination of Conde and Araujo more. As a result, Araujo and Conde will have some minor problems when switching defenses.
This time it was actually Conde who passed by the Real Madrid winger, but his last trip was still a little bigger, and it was saved by the timely Ter Stegen.
Conde's problem is that as the centre-back who drags behind, he is biased in his choice of position, and his ability to top up front is weak.
This time Modric is in the ribs, and Conde is either fiercely forward or ready to protect Araujo's back. His painless choice gave Venicius the opportunity to play deep.
This time, fortunately, Christensen completely followed Benzema and completed the crucial clearance, this time Venicius broke through.
Including Asensio's goal in the 81st minute, it was actually the result of Conde's poor positioning. Fortunately, the other party was a little offside and allowed Barça to escape.
In fact, whether it is Conde or Araujo, they are not suitable as people who delay protection. Venius made an own goal because Camavinga went into the ribs of the box, and Roberto made up for the former's cross to find his winging teammate.
When Venicius dribbled the ball, Conde chose not to move, allowing Busquets to follow, and then Araujo and Conde were not very good in the middle, in fact, Real Madrid did not have a receiving point in the middle, and Araujo himself crashed the ball into his own goal.
Perhaps it will be harder and harder to get Araujo to lock up Venicius later, and Ancelotti has understood the problem of this routine.
It's just that after this continuous suppression, Barca have a psychological advantage, and Real Madrid have not really been able to open this lock.
02. Barça beat Real Madrid in midfield? 5 of the 3 wins
a. The start of a three-game winning streak: Xavi changed his lineup to four midfielders
In addition to Araujo's point limit, Xavi's three-game winning streak also has a clear winner, that is, the arrangement of four midfielders.
This routine has been used since the Spanish Super Cup, and the last two times the number of goals has been reduced due to the forminess of the strikers, but Barca's four midfielders have been involved in all six goals, directly relying on their own shots to bring in five of them.
Especially when Pedri is around, Barca's four-midfielder has too much advantage in technique and passing.
Lewandowski's retreat is more about taking away the attention of the opposing centre-back and providing opportunities for the midfield teammate's counter-insertion.
The first goal in the Western Premier League was a tackle from Sergio Busquets, then Pedri headed straight to Lewandowski, who crossed Gavi to complete the crucial goal of breaking the deadlock.
In the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, it was still Kessie who suddenly stepped forward after breaking the ball, creating chaos in the opponent's penalty area and making the Real Madrid players swing their own goals.
b. Roberto can beat Real Madrid: Xavi's tactics work well
Even in Pedri's absence due to injury, the use of Roberto to start still has a good effect, which is a bonus to Xavi's system.
Statistically, Barça not only leads in shots (17 to 11) and has a huge margin on target (7-3), but also nearly three times the expected goals (1.64-0.58), and wins are also a natural result.
How did Barca's equaliser come about, that is, in addition to Sergio Busquets and two central defenders, the other seven pressed into the core area of the opponent.
Among them, there are 4 people in the box, 2 people in the big penalty area, and the midfielder enters the box with Lewandowski, making Real Madrid defenseless.
Roberto has been too efficient this season, playing 1,154 minutes in La Liga, contributing 4 goals and 3 assists, and directly producing 1 goal every 164 minutes, which is more efficient than many strikers.
This shot scored a shot that reflected Roberto's cool head and efficient passing, and was also the result of Xavi's tactical arrangement.
This wave of attack is typical, with Gavi receiving the ball and dividing it into the box himself, making Roberto behind him the real starting point of the last pass.
Lewandowski in the middle retreated, he played a cover role, and the real killing move was Rafinha into the box.
It's a brilliant routine, and if it weren't for the Real Madrid defender's crucial solution, Xavi's thinking would have left a classic goal once again.
03. Lead by 12 points and aim for the domestic treble! Will Messi return in summer window?
a. 12 points ahead of Real Madrid! Barça target a domestic treble
With a win over Real Madrid, Barça are already 12 points ahead of Real Madrid in La Liga and are just one step away from returning to the La Liga title.
Having previously won the Spanish Super Cup and won 1-0 away at Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, there are high hopes of qualifying for the final, and Xavi's side are expected to win the domestic treble this season.
Re-seeding the Champions League next season will avoid a strong rival like Bayern and help the team return to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
b. Lewandowski is slightly tired, will Messi return?
Lewandowski has scored just three goals in the last 10 games, including a penalty from a team-mate against Manchester United.
Not to mention that in these 10 games, Lewandowski missed many good scoring opportunities, including missing penalties. Will Lewandowski's decline be irreversible as he ages?
Of course, this does not mean that Lewandowski is worthless, this Barca's lore, Lewandowski's heel magic pass is very useful. It was still a midfield teammate who scored, and Kessie finally turned the own goal into his own.
If there are problems with Messi's contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain, will he return to Camp Nou this summer?
Laporta is already building momentum, and the possibility is real. If this is the case, Barça's market influence and attention may return to its original height.
Conclusion:
Xavi is still young, he will make some mistakes, and he will be a little slow to grasp the timing of substitutions in the second half of this game.
However, his big picture in tactical thinking, as well as imagination, is still very worthy of recognition. His growth rate is even faster than this Barça team, which is perhaps the most pleasing thing for red and blue fans.