3 burning questions from Real Madrid's colossal win over Barcelona
Real Madrid pulled off the unlikeliest of upset wins and walked away with their biggest win of the season, defeating Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou, in a result that no one would have seen coming before kickoff. Two goals from Kylian Mbappe, a number of strong saves from Andriy Lunin, as well as a number of other strong individual performances, culminated in all three points going Real Madrid's way, in a result that has completely blown the La Liga title race wide open.
As with any Real Madrid result, the Clasico win actually leaves more questions than it answers, as many weren't expecting Real Madrid to walk away victorious. Let's take a look at three burning questions from Real Madrid's dramatic 2-1 win over Barcelona.
3 burning questions from Real Madrid's dramatic colossal win over Barcelona
1. Is the La Liga title back on the table for Real Madrid?
Heading into the Clasico, this game was viewed by many as a must-win for Real Madrid. Los Blancos were six points behind the league leaders and a loss surely would have put any hopes of a late-season title charge to bed. However, Real Madrid pulled off the upset and have cut Barcelona's lead at the top of the table to just three points, which now brings up the question: can Real Madrid actually win the league? Jose Mourinho has his team playing like an actual team, looking much more unified and together than they did in the early parts of the season, and they are getting the results they need to stay alive in the title fight.
Had Barcelona won and extended their lead over Real Madrid to nine points, Real Madrid would have needed a number of miracles for results to go their way for Barcelona to start slipping. But with the lead only three points, and Barca losing two straight, results could start slipping away from them as they aren't invincible like they thought. Mentality plays a huge part in results, and with Real Madrid flying high, they'll have all the confidence that they can get their hands back on the La Liga title this season.
2. How does Vinicius Junior find his way back into the team?
This was the second of a four-game red card suspension for Vinicius Junior, and much like with their dominant win over Sevilla last weekend, Real Madrid looked better without the Brazilian. Yan Diomande has been starting in his place on the left wing and has been thriving, not just scoring and assisting, but also helping on the defensive side of the ball, which has made a noticeable difference, and has been able to fit into the attack alongside Kylian Mbappe while still shining himself, something Vinicius has struggled to do. So we have to ask: how does Vinicius get back into the team?
It's not worth sacrificing good form and good results just to please Vini and make him happy, so whether he likes it or not, once his suspension is up, he shouldn't just walk back into the starting lineup and will have to be comfortable on the bench.
3. Has Jose Mourinho found his 'Mourinho Magic' once again?
Since returning from the international break, something has changed in Real Madrid. The team is five wins from five, pulling off upsets as well as putting in dominant team performances, something we rarely saw in the early parts of the season. Mourinho has his team looking completely different and more unified than ever, and by the looks of it, he's found his Mourinho Magic once again, and the win over Barcelona seals it. This is why Jose was brought in and after a tough start to the season finally has things going his way and the prospect of silverware may very much be back on the table this season.
