""I felt like they lost Íñigo Martínez in defense, who was one of the most experienced players... Today you can see that the defense against a player like Mbappé lacks maturity and experience," he said on beIN Sports. "Barcelona, without Raphinha and Lewandowski, lacked maturity in the decisive moments of El Clásico. Xabi Alonso balanced his team well today... Overall, I'd say it was a bit like a men-versus-boys game in some respects."
""What did Mbappé do? He came into the game thinking, 'I'll just make runs behind the centre-backs and score one day', and he told his midfielders to look at him every time they had the ball," he added,"
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Bernabéu, leaving Barcelona five points behind in the table. Barcelona entered the match weakened by injuries and absences, including Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, and a loss of defensive experience in Íñigo Martínez. The Barcelona back line lacked maturity and cohesion when facing Kylian Mbappé. Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid setup was balanced and effective. Mbappé repeatedly made runs behind the centre-backs and positioned himself as the primary attacking outlet, with midfielders directed to look for him. Barcelona lacked decisive maturity in key moments of the Clasico.
Read at Barca Blaugranes
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