Following a somewhat shaky start to the season, Real Madrid now seem to have gotten back to a very good level. The Merengues have won all of their games since the loss in the Madrid derby, but the most cherished win for their fans would remain the one against FC Barcelona , in the first El Clasico of the season, at the Spotify Camp Nou.
This win was important not only because it helped the team cut their deficit in La Liga or because it helped the team maintain its winning run, but also because the Blaugranes had been the dominant side for the last two years, winning all but one of the matches between these two teams.
It was an incredible team performance by Los Blancos which allowed them to get the better of a Barcelona side that had remained undefeated in La Liga before this clash. However, as Diario AS has reported, the Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos recently spoke about this game and expressed his belief that Jose Mourinho deserved full credit for this win:
"Over the last two years, El Clásico has been going Barça's way. Unfortunately, that was the case in the last six or seven Clásicos, and that's what we expected before the match, with Madrid conceding an average of four goals in those games.
But things have changed, and I have to praise Mourinho's work. They played excellently, and he came up with a great game plan. Playing with the ball against this Barça side is a real achievement because they struggle when they don't have possession."
The former midfielder also commended the Merengues for being brave, both with and without the ball:
"Real Madrid and Mourinho were extremely brave at the Camp Nou, and that was a big difference compared with the last few Clásicos. The forwards delivered. There were also periods when they defended well, such as when Barça equalised. At that point, we would all have taken a draw. They played very well for 65 minutes."
The German icon went on to mention other virtues of his former team that allowed them to get the better of Barcelona:
"The Real Madrid players were well positioned. I was surprised by Huijsen marking Fermín. Barça players like Pedri and Raphinha looked uncomfortable, and Madrid forced them into mistakes they don't normally make. Madrid won almost all the duels because they were more intense. Real Madrid defended as a team. They put in an excellent performance both defensively and on the ball.
Barcelona are the best team in terms of football because they manage to dominate games more than Madrid, but they struggle when their pressing doesn't work and they have to defend. Madrid found the solutions to beat them. Barça faced genuine pressing that they don't usually encounter from other teams."
Kroos also defended his former teammate Vinicius Junior and highlighted some areas where the Brazilian needs to improve:
"Vini doesn't need great technical ability to cause damage. I would have liked to see him up against Cancelo, who leaves a lot of space behind him and whom Vini could have hurt badly. Vini has to defend the way Diomande and Bellingham did.
Mbappé or Vinicius are a gift for midfielders. They're worth their weight in gold because they're three steps quicker than defenders. Arda has a great connection with Mbappé."
Finally, the German maestro honestly clarified why his analysis has mostly focused on Real Madrid:
"We've suffered over the last two years and analysed what went wrong. Now it's time to enjoy ourselves and have some fun. By the way, I don't want PSG to win their third Champions League either, for certain reasons…"
There is no doubt that Jose Mourinho deserves a lot of credit for this El Clasico win. He not only worked out a plan that got the better of an incredible Barcelona team, but was also able to make his players implement his plan on the pitch. Hopefully, the Portuguese coach will enjoy many more such successes with Real Madrid and will help them land a few more trophies to their cabinet this season.
