Three takeaways from Barcelona 2-0 Real Madrid | La Liga MD35

Barcelona have defended their La Liga crown. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

While Real Madrid did have their occasional promising attack, Barcelona were the ones dictating the game from the get-go, and their performance was complete from start to finish.

For starters, the Barcelona defence effectively neutralised all of Real Madrid’s attacking threat with Eric Garcia shutting Vinicius Jr. down.

The centre-back pairing of Gerard Martin and Pau Cubarsi also played with great maturity, sealing the fortress.

On the ball, the Catalans not only retained more possession but also continually attacked despite being without Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the starting XI.

The first half, in particular, saw them all over Real Madrid’s defence with intricate combination play.

If anything, the performance was the best the team has produced in several weeks and only fitting for the championship-sealing game.

Midfield steals the spotlight

With Yamal and Raphinha unavailable to start, Hansi Flick opted for a smart alternative by starting Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres in attack.

Barcelona dominated the midfield. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Four midfielders occupied the remaining positions in front of the defence.

Gavi and Pedri started in the double pivot for Barcelona, with the former playing deeper as the more defence-centric member of the pivot.

Pedri, meanwhile, was handed freedom to venture forward in attack and spread his wings.

Dani Olmo was placed as the mediapunta and played right behind Ferran Torres, looking to get in behind the defence and open up gaps.

Fermin Lopez, meanwhile, started on the left wing and looked to cut in and add numbers in the final third.

With four technically sound midfielders on the field, Barcelona’s midfield was simply too much for Real Madrid to handle, and they tormented the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga to no end.

Such was Barcelona’s midfield dominance that at a point in the game, it seemed impossible for Los Blancos to earn any meaningful spell of possession.

Gavi’s press off the ball saw him win duels for fun, while Pedri finally looked at his best as he played after a week of rest.

The celebrations begin

As important as the Clasico win was for Barcelona, the implications of the game are far more significant than just the three points.

It’s time to celebrate for FC Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

For starters, Barcelona now sit 14 points ahead of Real Madrid, and with just three games to go, are officially the champions of Spain for a second straight year.

The Catalans got the job done in El Clasico, as it was a dream for many fans and players, and thus saw the final whistle against Real Madrid signal their crowning moment.

It is the first time in history that a Clasico final whistle has crowned a champion, and the game will thus go down in the history books.

Further, Barcelona are now on 91 points with 35 games played and are on track to hit 100 points at the end of the season, a feat only achieved twice before in the history of La Liga.

For now, the celebrations in Catalonia will begin and Barcelona will look to cherish the moment that is the highest point of the current season.

After all, winning La Liga again is a sign of the team’s consistency and provides the blueprint for the project’s future.