Tai Tran retweeted
Vinícius has no right to walk back into this XI.
Diomandé has 3 goals & 3 assists across five straight wins while combining, protecting possession & doing the defensive work that allows the left side to function while not stepping into Bellingham’s or Mbappé’s toes. He’s earned that place.
Mbappé, Diomandé, Bellingham, Arda Güler, Bernardo Silva & even Tchouaméni with Camavinga have to be ahead. That’s the fundamental pieces.
Benching any of the players delivering this beautiful & sustainable football to accommodate Vinícius based on reputation & not performances would be a mockery.
Tai Tran retweeted
Tchouaméni’s El Clásico is an argument for giving him a clearer job: Mourinho identified it against Sevilla & hammered it against Barcelona.
Bernardo + Dean Huijsen handling more of the build-up & Arda connecting ahead let him concentrate on protecting the middle and supporting. He had players to find after a recovery, rather than having to manufacture the next phase himself.
11 recoveries, 44/46 passes completed. An organiser alongside him makes his own passing more useful.
A good tactical set-up amplifies the strengths & hides the weaknesses. Mourinho’s brilliance at show past 7 days.
Tai Tran retweeted
.@Culturecams spent all that money to get a front row view of Real Madrid beating his surrogate team( because his actual team is ASS). You can't run from ass and glory hunt. Barça has no ties with Manchester united, atleast Real Madrid provided a whole team to Manchester, after the Munich air disaster.
Tai Tran retweeted
CAMAVINGA TO MBAPPE
THEY CAN ONLY FOUL SO MANY TIMES BEFORE WE BREAK THROUGH
THE BETTER TEAM TAKES THE LEAD
5k subs and great vibes after a big classico win, tune in to the fastest growing and best madrid podcast.
El Clasico Postgame Reaction: How Mourinho schooled Flick's Barcelona ft @AgarthaSid @Loconteee @jshector
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El classico 25/10/2026 another example, pedri and rodri are redudent profiles. Spain had Fabian ruiz in the best XI over pedri. Who does Barca turn to in these big matches?
Tai Tran retweeted
This is the level Jude Bellingham is showing in #ElClásico while completely depleted of energy since International Break.
For his level? This was a good performance.
For his peers? This is type of game they play once in 5 years.
Best midfielder ITW!
Tai Tran retweeted
Immense performance from Aurelian Tchouaméni. Hopefully now the blind will recognize the value of an anchor!
Tai Tran retweeted
Unbelievable good win tonight! Can't believe we showed such a high level.
This are just Madrid things!
Hala Madrid!
Tai Tran retweeted
Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé have both taken significant steps forward this season per @StatsBomb data.
Güler’s open-play expected assists have increased 27% per 90 (0.22 → 0.28), while his passing On-Ball Value (OBV) has risen an astonishing 309% (0.11 → 0.45). In other words, he’s a much more influential creator.
Mbappé, meanwhile, is getting into much better scoring positions. His non-penalty xG90 has increased 43% (0.51 → 0.73), touches inside the box are up 16% (11.6 → 13.4), and his xG per shot has risen 33% (0.12 → 0.16), despite his shot volume remaining virtually unchanged.
Interestingly, despite dribbling more than before, Mbappé’s shot OBV (0.25 → 0.17), dribble and carry OBV (0.24 → 0.15), passing OBV (0.00 → -0.05) and open-play expected assists (0.21 → 0.17) have all declined.
The overall picture suggests Real Madrid’s attacking system has become better optimized for Mbappé as a pure goalscorer, getting him into more dangerous positions and improving the quality of his opportunities.
This duo should slice Flick’s high line up in El Clasico.
Tai Tran retweeted
WOW did not see Bernardo Silva coming in the starting lineup because statistically he has been dribbled past a lot this season.
However, him starting indicates Mourinho has read the dynamics of this game (attack Barca relentlessly) correctly!
Let’s punch Barca in the mouth!
El Clasico Statistical Deep-Dive
@AgarthaSid compares Real Madrid and Barcelona across every league and Champions League game, examining their strengths, weaknesses and key matchups that could decide the game.
Tune in for numbers & nuance!
realdealpodz.substack.com/p/…
Tai Tran retweeted
Looks like Mourinho will go with Tchouaméni, Camavinga & Jude Bellingham in MF against Barça. Both Frenchmen are coming off their best games in a while.
Barça’s 72.7% field tilt & 3.59 xG per game in La Liga come with 53.7% of ground duels won & 61.7% aerially. Mourinho probably feels the need to interrupt those combinations and have a way through the pressure after winning it.
Tchouaméni completed 64/69 passes & won 5/9 duels vs Sevilla. Having him protect the centre allows Camavinga & Jude to float & the engage with cover behind them. Camavinga timed his drops to receive & movements forward much better vs Leipzig: 65/71 passes, 14/19 duels won. Camavinga + Jude Bellingham is a duo is disrupt their pivots and absorb the contact while both have carrying ability. Bellingham just being more multi-dimensional.
This game gives Madrid best chances if it becomes end to end: RHS of Arda Güler + Valverde, LHS of Diomandé and Cucurella.
Tai Tran retweeted
Finishing and efficiency in front of goal will inevitably come into play in El Clasico.
Barcelona have scored 17 more goals this season than Real Madrid (50 to 33, 51.5% more), despite recording only 3% more touches in the opposition box.
In other words, Barcelona only need 9.6 box touches per goal, 32% less than Real Madrid’s 14.1 box touches per goal.
Raphinha is scoring 1.78 goals per 90 and scoring 43% more goals than xG. Yamal is scoring 0.89 goals per 90 and 36% over xG.
Mbappe is scoring 1.01 goals p90 from the same amount of xG.
Adeyemi on the other hand is 20% below xG with 0.81 goals p90, despite recording the most touches in the opposition box p90 on either team with 11.28 (ahead of Mbappe at 11.01, Vinícius 9.55, Yamal 9.44).
Of course, Diomande’s presence will make things interesting. Vinicius’ 9.55 box touches were quite inefficiently utilized and not cohesive, plus Diomande’s willingness to slide passes to Mbappe has made Real Madrid’s attack much more lethal and efficient.
Tai Tran retweeted
A general overview of how I expect Real Madrid's José Mourinho to set up against Barcelona. Think the Sevilla & Leipzig games and performances don't hint at what Mourinho will opt for, especially if we look at the Inter, Atlético Madrid, and Roma games.
ALT El Clásico Roundtable: Can Mourinho’s Real Madrid Stop Flick’s Barcelona?
Can Real Madrid escape Barcelona's press and punish Flick's high line?
Special El Clasico Preview! Featuring @LamdarhriAchraf @DKostanjsak @CaptnGuardiola & @AgarthaSid
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Tai Tran retweeted
Real Madrid dismissed Alonso in a close league race v Barça, inside the CL top eight (Monaco & Benfica left for top 2-3 finish) & having just beaten Atléti before taking Barça to deep waters with a depleted side.
There was enough left to play for to let him finish the season. What’s happened since makes that decision look even more premature.
Arda at the heart of midfield, with Valverde’s running used elsewhere. Competition between Vinícius & Rodrygo, instead of treating Vini’s place as undisputed. Decisions that gave players roles suited to their qualities & made selection something to earn. Mourinho is using exactly those establishments and principles. Alonso’s vision aging like a fine-wine.
He deserved to close the season. Then assess the football, the results & whether the players were improving. Madrid made that judgment before giving his changes enough time to become a team.
You can’t be alive & well in all competitions but get sacked without a plan B. Thats exactly what happened and derailed the season.
Alonso has coached 120 league matches: has lost 14. 88% of the time he doesn’t lose.
• Rookie coach appointed after 8 games played already & battling relegation: 7 losses & European football secured.
• 0 Losses the following year
• 3 on his last league campaign
• 2 losses in 19 games with Madrid
• 2 losses in 7 games with Chelsea
No matter the narrative you build around. Xabi Alonso is an elite tier coach with great vision, work ethic and platforming players to have them overperform.
Admitting his sacking was a mistake doesn’t kill you, nor does understanding decision was made and couldn’t be reversed.
