Real Madrid vs. Barcelona takeaways: Hansi Flicks wins first trophy, Real Madrid show wide range of worries

Barcelona handed Real Madrid a second crushing blow of the season on Sunday, collecting a 5-2 win in the Spanish Super Cup final that renewed confidence in the leadership of manager Hansi Flick as he picked up his first trophy at the club.

Kylian Mbappe gave Real Madrid the lead in the fifth minute but a blitz of goals later in the first half gave them a 4-1 lead at the break, while Raphinha’s second-half goal added to their successes. Wojciech Szczesny’s 56th-minute red card, combined with Rodrygo’s 60th-minute goal, complicated matters slightly for Barcelona but barely did enough damage to change their commanding lead.

The contrasting performances were also emblematic of both teams’ seasons so far – while Barcelona look revitalized with Flick in charge, Real Madrid have yet to take meaningful strides since adding Mbappe to an already star-studded squad over the summer. Though there’s much time left in the season, Sunday’s Super Cup final felt like a signal of how high Barcelona can fly – and how much work Real Madrid have to do in order to come close to last season’s success.

Here are some takeaways from the Spanish Super Cup final.

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona get it done (again)

After the ups and downs of last season at Barcelona, it really was hard to know what to expect from them this time around regardless of the new manager. Five months into Flick’s tenure, it’s safe to say that hiring him was the right call, and not only because he already has his first winner’s medal in the new job.

The German manager is getting the best out of his players, a harder task than it seems at times. He has the benefit of working with Lamine Yamal, a generational talent who has seamlessly graduated from the academy to the first team, but the uptick in productivity across the board is impressive. Lewandowski is enjoying a banner campaign at 36 years old but the breakout star of the season is Raphinha, who now has 19 goals with his brace in Sunday’s final. Their success, alongside the play of other younger talents like Pau Cubarsi and Gavi, has allowed Barcelona to stay competitive despite Real Madrid’s deep pockets – and their own well-documented financial hardships.

Flick’s Barcelona have also coupled strong form with big wins, a crucial marker of their trophy-winning aspirations. They now have two multigoal wins over Madrid this season, the first coming in October’s 4-0 drubbing at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and another lopsided victory over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. It has not always been perfect for Barcelona this season, but Flick’s side continue to pass every big test in front of them. It makes them one of the more fascinating teams to follow in Europe this season, and speaks highly of the manager’s track record as a winner.

Real Madrid’s defensive nightmare

The result was equal parts a reflection of Barcelona’s offensive might as it was Real Madrid’s defensive sloppiness, which was hard to ignore on Sunday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are not exactly known for a defense-first strategy, but the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Aureline Tchouameni and Lucas Vazquez were exposed on several occasions as Barcelona put five past them. The opposition took advantage of silly mistakes like Eduardo Camavinga’s foul that led to a penalty, as well as the spaces left by the center backs – as well as an absolute inability to notice Raphinha right behind them – as the Brazil international scored his first goal.

It was not exactly the first time this season that Real Madrid have paid for their defensive mistakes, either. Their 4-0 loss to Barcelona earlier this season, which was followed by a 3-1 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League, demonstrates a potentially worrying habit in big games, which may not bode well for La Liga’s second-place side in a tight title race.

Galacticos still haven’t clicked

Real Madrid positioned themselves as a nearly invincible team last season as they collected the domestic title and the Champions League, surviving the imperfections thanks to an effective group of goalscorers that would bail them out of trouble. With Mbappe in tow for this season, it seemed like Madrid were merely leveling up on a winning strategy but halfway through the campaign, things have not exactly swung their way.

On one hand, the likes of Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have done well for themselves this season and were even on the scoresheet on Sunday in Jeddah. They have not exactly found a way to repeat last season’s trick of scoring on days where Real Madrid did not deserve to win, and they are just a few members of an attack that has struggled on several occasions this season. After Mbappe’s goal, for example, they did not manage much in terms of attacking chances and Rodrygo’s strike came off a set piece that Szczesny conceded when he received a red card. They tried to attack further when they were playing 11 vs. 10, but Barcelona’s defense-mended strategy meant there was little Real Madrid could do.

Los Blancos’ high-profile attack has a surprise habit of going quiet this season, as October’s loss to Barcelona and their Champions League loss to Lille demonstrate. It feels like the other shoe has finally dropped for an imbalanced Madrid, which could cost them in their quest to win trophies this season.