Barcelona beat Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu on Thursday night in what has to be seen as the shabbiest, ugliest and most incoherent Clasico in recent memory.
Even in the context of a game that often descends into pettiness and cynicism, this was a truly appalling rendition of world football’s most famous rivalry. It showed wayward short passes, hopeful long balls and minimal cohesion between teammates.
The only goal came against the flow of play after a mistake by Edouardo Camavinga in Barcelona. Franck Kessie’s shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois, deflected by Eder Militao and then accidentally assisted by Nacho Fernandez. The only debate was over which Real Madrid player should be credited with the own goal. It was such an evening.
Amid all this chaos, it’s saying something that arguably the most impressive player was Marcos Alonso, who was used at centre-back. It’s not the first time Alonso has appeared there this season – in fact, he has played more often at center than at left-back. Somehow this challenge suited him better than any game before.
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Alonso is a curious footballer. He’s not even really a left-back as he lacks natural defensive qualities and is far too easily pulled out of position when playing in a back four. He’s one of those players who feels much more comfortable at full-back than at full-back.
He developed into a truly formidable player in a Fiorentina side that often played 3-5-2 and was signed by Antonio Conte’s Chelsea as a specialized full-back. He was only given one chance in the first-team when Conte decided to switch from 4-3-3 to 3-4-3, a move that essentially earned Chelsea the 2016-17 Premier League title.
Alonso isn’t the first footballer to feel more comfortable at full-back than full-back. But perhaps he is the first footballer who clearly listens to the full-back but would consider his header power to be his main quality. Full-backs are generally not involved in dogfights – certainly not decisive ones.
And yet Alonso has made a name for himself more as a specialist blunder at the far post, a full-back with a target, than an experienced crosser or dependable hard worker. It is difficult to imagine a comparable footballer.
How would Alonso fare against reigning Ballon d’Or Karim Benzema in the Clasico? Well, the answer depends on what part of the game you’re looking at.
In the early stages, Barcelona tried to play their usual football. They had a high defence, wanted to stay on the ball for a long time and tried to assert themselves in the game. During this period Alonso struggled.
He was very insecure about position and his body shape was often wrong. Within the opening 30 seconds, Benzema ran across the front of Alonso who was chasing him into a lower position, although he could have seen Luka Modric running forward into his zone. Dani Carvajal passed the ball through to Modric in what briefly looked like a one-on-one. Modric missed – and in fairness the flag went offside anyway. But that was to become Barcelona’s problem.
Alonso has learned nothing from it. Here’s an almost identical situation – Benzema positions himself on this side to pull Alonso up. Modric, who played very high in the first half, has one more opportunity to fall behind. This time, Carvajal plays the ball into Benzema’s feet.
And here’s an example of Alonso being dragged to the other side of the pitch, practically in front of fellow centre-back Jules Kounde, to take down Vinicius Junior. Here he could argue that nobody else was willing to take advantage of the space and Sergio Busquets was there to fill Alonso’s zone when needed. Nevertheless, this was the pattern of the first half: Alonso was dragged around almost at will by Real.
But the second half was played very differently.
Barcelona parked the bus more at 1-0 than in any Clasico in years, probably decades. Real Madrid dominated possession and Barca generally looked for long balls down to isolated center forward Ferran Torres.
The ball kept coming back to the guests. And yet Real struggled for a serious scoring chance in the second half.
Marcos Alonso, aerial powerhouse (Photo: Manuel Reino Berengui/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
And while that felt decidedly atypical for Barcelona, it suited Alonso perfectly. The full-back, specialized in dogfights, was suddenly in his element in the centre-back’s relatively new environment. As Real Madrid fired hopeful crosses into the box, Alonso became Barcelona’s most formidable header and was always there to clear.
Playing at centre-back 40 yards from his own goal, Alonso looked like a liability. When the central defender played 10 meters from his own goal, he felt like a towering veteran.
In the closing stages, it almost became a parody. Here, Carvajal shuffles into the box with a low cross and Alonso’s attempted clearance was badly sliced into the air. But that was fine – as the ball dropped from the sky, gritty stopper Alonso took to the sky again, off balance to win the header and eliminate the threat.
The final action of the game was fitting. In the seventh minute of added time, a deep Real Madrid corner found Aurelien Tchouameni at the far post. The man closest to him was Alonso, who jumped in the air, turned slightly and the ball deflected off his shoulder.
There was a brief delay while the referee checked that the ball hadn’t hit his arm. But Alonso was safe and Barcelona were home and dry.
Two key numbers tell the story. Barcelona recorded 35 percent possession, the lowest level since 2013/14. Likewise, for the first time since Opta began analyzing it (2010), Real Madrid managed to go without a shot on goal in a home game. The first stat shows that the game suited Alonso. The second shows that he did his job.
(Top Photo: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)