Why Barcelona are better and Real Madrid are worse

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Barcelona and Real Madrid are inverting expectations this season.

Real Madrid finally brought in their star striker, Kylian Mbappe, to complete their new Galacticos team. Ancelotti has the best attacking players in the world at his disposal, however his team seems to be struggling to create chances for them.

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s tumultuous 2023-24 season culminated in Xavi being sacked after being convinced to stay for an additional season. Many expected Hansi Flick’s tenure to have a rocky start, yet here they are flying at the top of the table.

How has this happened?

Joe Devine is joined by JJ Bull and Jon Mackenzie to explain.
This is The Athletic’s Week in Football.

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#barcelona #realmadrid #laliga

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Timestamps:
00:00 Why Barcelona are better and Real Madrid are worse
00:25 Are Real Madrid worse than expected?
01:30 Different players, different dynamics
02:04 Mbappe, Bellingham, Toni Kroos and ball progression
06:35 Example from Champions League against Dortmund
13:27 Evangelos Marinakis’ Fine | The Athletic FC Newsletter
14:11 Are Barcelona better than expected?
15:04 What’s changed for Barca?
17:06 Tactical Changes
19:56 Hansi Flick’s counter-press and an ageing Lewandowski
23:39 Why Dani Olmo might not play after December | The Athletic FC Podcast
25:51 New La Masia Graduates
28:01 Where does Gavi fit in?

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Additional footage sourced from AP Newsroom

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