Barcelona has done it again. Without a doubt, this season has had one color, and that color is blue and red. Real Madrid has not been up to par this season, and a real revolution is brewing in its ranks, while the Catalans will opt for continuity with a well-oiled machine that has been a real nightmare for the Whites this season.
The vagaries of the calendar meant that there were four clásicos this season. Barça emerged victorious in all of them, and did so in convincing fashion. The first of the season came in the first half of the domestic competition with a resounding 0-4 win at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Spanish Super Cup final was played in Riyadh, where the two sides met again, with Barça winning 5-2 to lift the first trophy of the season. The second title also came against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final in Seville just 15 days ago, with the Catalans winning 3-2 in extra time.
The fourth and icing on the cake came on Sunday in a decisive match for the league title. Barça had to fight back again and come from behind in a match that looked to be going Real Madrid’s way after Mbappé scored twice in the opening minutes. Eric García and Lamine Yamal equalized before Raphinha scored twice to turn the score around. Mbappé scored a hat-trick, but it wasn’t enough.
Mbappé was not enough to get the better of a Barça side that was flawless in attack and has capitalized all season on the weakness of the Whites’ defense, which yesterday was missing five players at the back. The Azulgrana team has scored 16 goals against Real Madrid in the four Clásicos this season in all competitions, a record against the Whites in a single season in history.
Beyond their eternal rival, Barça have shown themselves to be an offensive powerhouse in all competitions. This season, the Azulgranas have scored 167 goals in 57 games, achieving a spectacular average of 2.92 goals per game and scoring at least one goal against all their opponents in all competitions.
Real Madrid are good at LRL
The best example of this offensive prowess is the trio formed by Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Lewandowski, known as the LRL. Between them, they have scored 50 goals in La Liga and have been particularly successful against Real Madrid this season. Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal have scored 11 of the 16 goals that the Azulgranas have put past Real Madrid this season in the four games played.