Real Madrid came in to El Clasico wounded after shock defeats at home to Cadiz and Shakhtar Donetsk. Zinedine Zidane knew that the pressure would really start to build if his side were to fall to a third successive loss at the hands of Barcelona in the Camp Nou, but he was confident that his team were capable of turning them over and they did just that.
There were several key factors that were decisive in making sure Real Madrid came out on top in the first Clasico clash of the season.
Fielding the best team possible
Zinedine Zidane fielded the strongest and fittest team he had at his disposal against Barcelona. The Frenchman opted against any kind of experimentation with his starting XI. Sergio Ramos and Ferland Mendy were the two new inclusions after the defeat in the Champions League to Shakhtar Donetsk and there were big performances from the likes of Raphael Varane, Toni Kroos, Marcos Asensio and Federico Valverde.
Fresh legs throughout the team
The inclusion of players such as Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy, Casemiro, Federico Valverde, Marcos Asensio and Vinicius Junior gave Real Madrid far more running and power than in the previous two matches. These players allowed Real Madrid to outbattle Barcelona all over the pitch and come out on top in the end.continue reading