The lessons of the Barça-Madrid dualism at the height of the season

BarcelonaBarça couldn't take advantage of Real Madrid's stumble at the Santiago Bernabéu, but the draw against Betis, unlike the Real Madrid defeat in the final minutes, allows for several positive readings regarding Hansi Flick's team.

The Madrid fans are running out of patience.

The first is that while the Blaugranas, more tired and persistent than usual, fought the match until the end without losing their temper, the Real Madrid team did so desperately, disorganized in attack and weak in defense. This ultimately cost them the defeat against one of the bottom-of-the-table teams fighting to avoid relegation. Barça couldn't come back against Betis, and a careless mistake by Ronald Araujo on a corner allowed the Andalusians to exploit Montjuïc, but the Blaugranas kept trying until the end. The Madrid team relied exclusively on the inspiration of Mbappé, who, while he managed to create a couple of good chances, was too alone up front. Vinícius, who missed a dubious penalty in the first half, was booed by his own fans.

This is, precisely, a second lesson in which Barça has emerged stronger than Carlo Ancelotti's team. At Barcelona, ​​Hansi Flick has achieved a successful communion up front, where Robert Lewandowski has gradually put aside his foul gestures toward his teammates when not receiving the ball and has also accepted rotations. Lamine Yamal has also accepted the role of assistant, regardless of not being the one who regularly finishes plays, a role Flick also worked on, and, in fact, the Barça star has forged a great partnership with Raphinha. None of Barça's forward figures are under discussion at this point of the season; however, in Madrid, Ancelotti hasn't quite found the key to making Mbappé and Vinícius work together consistently.

Barça's best forward records by far.

The Real Madrid coach has not yet decided who the best partner is to complement the forward line, while at Barça Ferran Torres is recording his best records as a professional. With 16 goals and four assists, the last one this Saturday against Betis, in 36 appearances. Rodrygo has appeared in up to eight other matches and has scored almost half of those goals: nine. However, the Brazilian has provided five more assists. However, in La Liga, he hasn't scored or assisted in two months. Brahim has only scored six goals and provided six assists in 42 appearances. The most shocking figures, however, are those of Vinícius. The Brazilian winger, in 2025, has only found the net six times across all competitions.

Vinícius's total tallies for the season are 19 goals and 14 assists in 42 games, clearly below Raphinha's: 27 goals and 20 assists in 44 games. Only Mbappé can match Lewandowski's scoring figures (32 goals and four assists in 46 games): 38 goals and three assists in 42 games. Furthermore, two games ago, with 139 goals, the Blaugrana became the first team in the history of Spanish football to reach this figure in 45 games in all competitions. Now it's 141 in 47 games.

Hansi Flick's team, the only one who depends on itself

Against Betis, the Catalans ended a run of nine consecutive La Liga wins. The physical and mental fatigue that was evident in many players—Frenkie de Jong, Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Balde, and Jules Kounde, who was nursing minor discomfort, weren't around much until the Andalusians—ended up weighing on them against a good opponent. But, unlike Real Madrid, Barça didn't let up or lose faith. This injection of leadership is one of Hansi Flick's greatest achievements this season, in a team where there are many young players who aren't even 20 years old or are only just over that age, such as Pau Cubarsí, Balde, Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, and Gerard Martín, among those who have accumulated the most minutes.

Although both Barça and Real Madrid are still in with a chance of winning the treble, a feat the Catalans have achieved twice (2008-09 and 2014-15) but the Whites have never, the Catalans are the only ones who depend on themselves.