Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Five things to look out for in the double El Clasico week

5) Solari vs Valverde - The battle of minds

Solari has a tough challenge on hands against Valverde

Football pundits will say that Ernesto Valverde hasn't quite been able to replicate his predecessor Luis Enrique's success at the Catalan club. However, he has done much more than that. Valverde came in during a phase when Neymar left the club in search of fresher pastures and Iniesta had one good season left in him.

He brought back the tika-taka to Barcelona, albeit a much more direct one. He has very successfully implemented his style into the team and stabilized a sinking ship. The team has prospered under his tutelage and youngsters like Dembele, Arthur and Alena are settling in well. His style negates the need for too many passes as opposed to the traditional tika-taka.

On the other hand, Santiago Solari was handed over the reins of Real Madrid at a time when the entire club was in disarray. The club was on a poor run of form, with multiple defeats degrading the scenario and then manager, Julen Lopetegui was sacked. Since then, Solari has done an amazing job by turning Real's season upside down and onto the right track.

The team morale is excellent and this helps the players in the 4-3-3 system to prosper. He has given the youth a chance and players like Vinicius, Ceballos, Odriozola, and Sergio Reguilon have been getting consistent game time. His focus is on channeling the attacks and switching the 4-2-3-1 into the 4-3-3 with less focus on possession play.