Real Madrid's victory over Barcelona on Sunday was more than just three points in the La Liga title race.
It was an important statement from Jose Mourinho, who outcoached Hansi Flick and made tactical decisions that helped his side overcome the Catalan giants.
Barça came into this fixture looking unstoppable in the league, but Madrid's 2-1 victory at Camp Nou has earned Jose considerable praise.
As quoted by Defensa Central , former Barcelona player Abelardo Fernandez was particularly impressed by Madrid's organisation.
"Mourinho's tactical approach in Barcelona was very good, with that 4-5-1 or 4-1-4-1,"Abelardo said.
The 56-year-old highlighted the decision to position Aurelien Tchouameni behind Jude Bellingham and Bernardo Silva, giving Madrid greater balance through the middle.
Jude Bellingham had an outrageous game against Barcelona's midfield. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
With Tchouameni providing defensive protection, his teammates had more freedom to support attacks without leaving the back line completely exposed.
Abelardo was especially impressed by Bellingham, whose contribution went beyond his attacking responsibilities.
"We talk about many Madrid players, but Bellingham's performance was spectacular,"he explained.
The Englishman won 13 duels during the encounter , more than Barcelona's entire midfield combined. Such numbers underline how good he was on the night.
Abelardo also explained how Barcelona's defensive problems contributed to Madrid's success on the night.
"I think Barcelona also lost because, defensively, they are a very vulnerable team,"he explained.
This, in principle, was one of the main foundations of Mourinho's tactical set-up last night. Los Blancos did not need to dominate possession to outplay their opponents.
Tchouameni's positioning, along with the intelligence and energy of Bellingham and Bernardo, helped Real Madrid outplay Barça in midfield.
Aurelien Tchouameni was excellent in the middle of the park for Madrid. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)
It is a particularly encouraging result for Los Blancos because of how much they had struggled against Barcelona in recent meetings.
Mourinho's team showed last night that they could adapt to Flick's aggressive style rather than simply attempting to match it.
The victory has now reduced Madrid's gap to their arch-rivals to just three points, throwing the title race wide open.
Mourinho's Real Madrid will now strive for consistency and hope to perform at a similar level in the coming weeks to keep the pressure on Barcelona in La Liga.
