Barcelona’s flying start contrasts with Real Madrid tension before El Clasico

Barcelona and Real Madrid remain separated by six points in La Liga, but their contrasting fortunes are becoming increasingly clear with two weeks to go before El Clasico on 25 October at Spotify Camp Nou.

According to Sport, Barcelona are enjoying a confident start under Hansi Flick, with convincing victories and immediate contributions from their new signings. Real Madrid, by contrast, are experiencing growing tension, with Jose Mourinho’s return to the touchline adding to the unease and Vinicius Junior again attracting controversy.

Barcelona’s momentum survived a three-week international break. Even against a Getafe side defending deep with two compact lines, Flick’s team scored early, controlled the match and eventually secured another emphatic victory.

The result was Barcelona’s ninth win of the season. Six of those victories have come by at least three goals: 5-0 against Elche, 5-2 against Rayo Vallecano, 5-0 against Valencia, 7-2 against Racing, 3-0 against Getafe and 5-1 against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

Their other wins were 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao, 4-2 against Levante and 3-1 against Sevilla. Barcelona still face demanding away matches against Galatasaray, Real Betis and Paris Saint-Germain before the meeting with Real Madrid.

The new arrivals have settled quickly, while Rodri has looked as though he has been playing for Barcelona for years. Gordon’s performances have appeared to justify the sporting department’s decision to sign him, and Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus have also impressed when selected.

Lamine Yamal did not score against Getafe but created another goal, finished by Jules Kounde. Kounde celebrated by becoming the French player with the most appearances in Barcelona’s history. Yamal now has eight goals and seven assists and is competing for the Ballon d’Or.

Real Madrid struggling for control

Real Madrid have had to work much harder for their victories. They have lost twice this season, 1-0 to Real Betis and 2-1 to Atletico Madrid, while four of their seven wins under Mourinho have come by a single goal: 2-1 against Espanyol, 3-2 against Elche, 1-0 against Villarreal and 2-1 against Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Their other victories were 4-1 against Real Sociedad, 4-0 against Malaga and 4-1 against Rayo Vallecano.

Despite beating Villarreal, tension was evident throughout the match. The new signings have yet to provide the expected impact, with Marc Cucurella appearing below his previous level. Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva are still being asked to show their best form.

Carlos Espe has continued to score whenever he plays, while Diomande is beginning to attract attention after netting his first Real Madrid goal against Villarreal. Kylian Mbappe failed to score against the Yellow Submarine for a second successive match.

Vinicius was involved in another flashpoint after grabbing Saliba’s hair before protesting angrily, an incident that could lead to him missing El Clasico.

Mourinho was also central to the drama, arguing with the fourth official and Villarreal’s substitutes’ bench, while footage of him running on to embrace Vinicius after the Brazilian’s disallowed goal was mocked. He then declined to attend the post-match news conference.

With exactly two weeks remaining, the gap between the two clubs extends well beyond the six points in the table.