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Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona hosted Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid for the first El Clasico of the 2021-22 La Liga campaign on Sunday afternoon. The two teams have not had the best of starts to the league campaign and were determined to make a statement at the Camp Nou.
The hosts started strongly and came close to opening the scoring inside the first half hour. However, after weathering the early storm, it was Real Madrid who broke the deadlock with a screamer from David Alaba. Lucas Vazquez doubled Real Madrid’s lead in injury time, practically sealing their fourth consecutive Clasico win for the first time in 56 years.
Although Barcelona still had time to pull one back through substitute Sergio Aguero, it was nothing more than a consolation. Most of the Barcelona stars were below their standards on Sunday, which contributed to the disappointing result.
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On that note, here are the top five Blaugrana stars who failed to live up to their billing in the 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the Camp Nou.
#5 Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay was not one of the worst Barcelona players on the pitch. However, given how much the fans expected of the forward, we cannot help but call his performance sub-par.
Depay rarely got into threatening positions himself, but his link-up play was pretty impressive. He looked a lot more threatening when operating down the middle but did not do enough to threaten Thibaut Courtois.
With so many capable creators in their ranks, Barcelona need a lethal forward more than an impressive ball player. Depay, unfortunately, could not quite manage to make that happen on Sunday.
#4 Oscar Mingueza
Barcelona have long been searching for a versatile defender who can play in multiple positions. Oscar Mingueza, who can play comfortably both as a centre-back and full-back, has the quality to be that man for the Blaugrana.
In Sunday’s El Clasico, he got the chance to prove his mettle as a right-back, at least in the first half. Unfortunately, he went up against an in-form Vinicius Jr., who was not keen on taking any prisoners.
Mingueza struggled to keep up with the dizzying feet of Vinicius Jr. and was turned inside out time and again. He did use his physicality well on a couple of occasions but overall, it was an underwhelming outing for the Barcelona graduate.
#3 Ansu Fati
Keeping Ansu Fati on this list seems a bit unfair, but the youngster did endure one of his most ordinary games in a Barcelona shirt. The new Barcelona number 10 is arguably the most skilled teenager in La Liga and was expected to lead the charge against Los Blancos.
Instead, he suffocated on the left wing, thanks to Lucas Vazquez’s brilliant defending throughout the match.
With Barcelona struggling to keep hold of the ball, Fati had a hard time stretching his legs. And when he did, Vazquez and co. almost always had the answer.
Fati shone a little in the second half, especially when Real Madrid decided to surrender possession in exchange for defensive solidity. He registered one shot on target in three attempts, but it was not enough to trouble Thibaut Courtois.
#2 Frenkie de Jong
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is one of the most capable midfielders in La Liga right now. Unfortunately for the Catalan giants, he has just not been able to make the most of his talents in the Spanish top flight.
On Sunday afternoon, the former Ajax sensation had the opportunity to take the fight to Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Instead, De Jong spent the entire game chasing shadows and failing to do anything worth noting.
In the first half, the Netherlands international was trying to dictate the tempo. However, his joy was short-lived, as Real Madrid did not waste any time regaining control of the match.
De Jong created only a single chance in the match and attempted no shots. He had two tackles, the highest in the match, but they were nullified in the grand scheme of things.
With Sergio Busquets reaching the twilight of his career, the onus is on De Jong to become Barcelona’s midfield general. It is about time the 24-year-old starts justifying his €86m price tag, influencing matches as his Barcelona predecessors did.
#1 Sergino Dest
Ronald Koeman tried to make the most of Sergino Dest’s offensive capabilities by using him as a further up the right-hand channel in El Clasico. Dest’s pace and unpredictable positioning troubled Real Madrid in the beginning, with Los Blancos even giving away a golden opportunity in the 25th minute.
Dest found himself in a one-on-one situation with Thibaut Courtois, but somehow managed to sky his effort from close range. His blunder denied Barcelona the opener, and Real Madrid eventually capitalized.
Later, when he was moved back down to his natural, right-back position, he was tormented by Vinicius Jr.’s blistering pace and footwork. Although Dest did provide the assist for Aguero's goal, it was too little too late.
