If you love this rivalry, you can feel the change in the air. Barcelona come in as defending champions, powered by a young core that plays with edge and confidence.
Real Madrid start a new era under a coach who thinks as fast as he used to pass. The Clásicos of 2025–26 aren’t just another chapter, this is a fork in the road for Spanish football.
Two big questions will shape the season:
1. What does Xabi Alonso’s Madrid look like when the games start to count?
2. Can Hansi Flick keep Barcelona playing with the same speed and control, while trusting teenagers to decide grown-up matches?
By the time we hit the first Clásico of 2025–26 set for October 26 at the Bernabéu, with the return in March at Montjuïc, those answers will be on the grass, not on paper.
The Managers: A New Madrid Idea vs Barcelona Championship Tactics
Xabi Alonso’s blueprint
Alonso arrives with a clear track record, structured possession, compressed distances between lines, and wide players who double as security blankets in rest defense.
At Bayer Leverkusen he leaned on a 3-4-2-1/3-2-4-1 that morphed on the ball into a box midfield, with wingbacks stepping into midfield to create overloads, and center-backs brave enough to carry forward.
Those aren’t buzzwords, they’re habits. Multiple analyses laid it out last spring and early summer, right as Madrid made it official.
Madrid announced the appointment in late May, a three-year deal through 2028. There’s no mystery about who’s in charge or how deliberate the project is.
“Xabi Alonso will be the coach of Real Madrid for the next three seasons,” the club said in its official statement.
Alonso has also been direct about Jude Bellingham’s job description. He doesn’t see Bellingham as a second striker, and he’s said so. “I see Bellingham as a midfielder, he likes to participate in the buildup,” he explained this summer.
That matters for how Madrid will space the field and for who steps into the last line of attack next to Kylian Mbappé.
ESPN added the context: to settle Madrid’s shape, Bellingham may have to trade a little freedom for structure.
That’s not a downgrade, it’s a commitment to balance so the team isn’t “positionally ragged” in transitions.
Hansi Flick’s Tactics
Flick took over Barcelona in 2024 and hit the accelerator. The team played with directness and intensity, tilted the field, and put up big numbers on the way to the title.
Barcelona are the champions coming into 2025–26, and Flick’s standards for the kids are crystal clear.
On Lamine Yamal: “We’re very happy he’s playing at this level, but he has to work hard to stabilize at this level and improve even more.” That’s not hype, it’s expectation.
Reporting this spring framed Barcelona as an attacking force with Yamal at the heart of a high-volume, high-tempo front line, and the numbers matched the eye test.
Reuters wrote that Yamal’s end product and chance creation helped drive the title run. Flick keeps praising the teenager’s maturity in big moments.
When you blend those pieces, Flick’s pressing, quick vertical play after regains, and willingness to trust teenagers, you get a team that wants to score in waves. When it turns, it turns fast.
What Alonso changes practically
Let’s not speak in theory. Here’s what should look different about Madrid in league play:
• Back-three principles without the fear. Even when listed as a back four, expect asymmetry. One full-back (often the right) tucks or pushes into midfield to create the extra man in the first and second lines.
The far-side wide player stays low as an exit. This is straight out of Alonso’s Leverkusen playbook.
• A box midfield that choreographs Bellingham. With Bellingham starting deeper, the “10” strip can be shared situationally by an advanced midfielder (think Arda Güler when he plays central) and whoever pins the last line near Mbappé.
Bellingham’s runs will come from controlled starting positions, not constant free roaming. He can still arrive in the box just from the right launchpad. Alonso himself has underlined this.
• Trained rest defense. Alonso’s teams value how they look when they lose the ball. The wingbacks/full-backs are positioned to close the middle, the near-side “10” collapses, and the center-back on the ball side steps in aggressively.
The goal kill counters before they start, especially against Yamal and Raphinha. Analysis of his Leverkusen sides hammered these points.
• Who feeds Mbappé? A lot of it may be Güler. His preseason reps under Alonso have come with responsibility, not cameos. The theme even in friendlies has been clear.
Güler connecting midfield to Mbappé, timing the slip pass, and running set pieces with purpose as Madrid reset the post-Kroos era. Local and club-adjacent coverage has emphasized his centrality in the build-up during the July/August games.
• A Madrid side with Mbappé at nine, Vinícius cutting from the left, and Bellingham in a real midfield pair or trio is a different beast than last year’s free-form diamond. But different can be a good thing. And yes Mbappé is real, not rumor.
He signed a five-year deal and was unveiled at a packed Bernabéu last July. “I had the dream of playing for Real Madrid,” he said on stage.
What Flick Plans to Keep and Where He’ll Make Changes
Flick has never been shy about running a front line with freedom. He likes wide wingers who attack full-backs one-v-one and a center who pins defenders. The “tweak” is control in the middle to let the wingers breathe.
The Yamal effect. He isn’t treated as a kid anymore. “Not a kid,” as ESPN put it after a title-tilting performance last spring.
His shot selection and final pass have matured, which makes Barcelona’s right side a constant two-decision problem for defenses, show help and open the half-space, or leave your full-back alone and pray.
The midfield’s tone. Flick values energy and timing in midfield,arrivals into the box, quick counters, and winning the second ball.
When it clicks, Barcelona look like a team that can turn a routine regain into a three-on-two in five seconds.
His own words on the collective “unity,” “quality,” “adapting game to game” show a manager comfortable with variety, not just a single pattern.
Keeper decisions and rotations. Flick has been willing to make bold choices in goal and elsewhere when European and Clásico weeks stack up. Back in the spring he declared who would start through a crunch run. The message was simple: no sacred cows, pick what the week needs.
Key battles that will decide the Clásicos
Mbappé vs. Barcelona’s right-side help
The duel kicks off on the left side, where Mbappé in the half-space and Vinícius moving around him can be a real nightmare for any right-back.
If Barcelona leave the right-back open, Mbappé can slip inside and finish. If they pull a center-back wide to help, Bellingham or the near-side “10” gets a lane to arrive late.
Flick’s answer is twofold, the right-sided midfielder must shade early, and the nearest center-back must be brave stepping into Mbappé’s path before he turns.
Rotations behind that are essential, because if the right-back jumps early on Vinícius, Mbappé will target the gap. Alonso will probe those timings on purpose.
Lamine Yamal’s isolations vs. Madrid’s rest defense
Yamal’s best plays happen when he receives early and wide, with room to attack either foot. Alonso will try to deny the early release by holding an extra man outside the half-space.
If Madrid keep that spare behind their right-back, Yamal runs into a wall; if not, he’ll chop onto his left and shoot, or slip a pass along the seam.
Flick has been open about loving Yamal’s maturity in those moments, and he has pushed the teenager publicly to sustain the level.
Bellingham’s discipline vs. Barcelona’s counter-press
If Jude picks up the ball too high and loses it, Barcelona’s counter-press can bite. If he receives in the right pockets just behind the first line, he can turn the press into a broken line, then slide Mbappé through.
Alonso’s public stance on Jude’s role (“a midfielder”) is the tell. The first pass after a regain is the fuse for both teams.
Arda Güler between lines vs. Barça’s interior tracking
This is where little details decide games. If Güler drifts off the shoulder of Barcelona’s right-sided midfielder and finds the pocket behind him, he forces the center-back to step out, which opens the channel for a diagonal to Vinícius.
If Barca’s interior tracks him tight, Güler’s job is to play one-touch and move, not over-dribble. His current form suggests he’s ready for that burden, the recent coverage around his preseason minutes and creative output under Alonso was full of specifics key passes, tempo, responsibility.
Set Pieces: Small Moments That Can Change Big Games
Clásicos often turn on a set play. Alonso’s teams are tidy on restarts. Flick’s sides flood the near post and hunt second balls.
Watch the blockers and screeners more than the target men. The little wrestling matches at the penalty spot usually decide who gets the clean look.
How the Young Stars Could Decide the Matches
This rivalry has always had stars, but 2025 might be the year teenagers tilt the league.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
He’s not just promise anymore; he’s production. By the end of last season he had piled up assists and goals across all competitions and became the youngest scorer in a Champions League semi-final.
Flick keeps calling out his maturity after big nights. The summary from spring was simple: he was the heartbeat of Barcelona’s attack.
Flick also keeps the pressure on him, which tells you how they see him internally: “genius” isn’t enough if the work doesn’t follow. It’s a standard, not a compliment.
Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
Every champion needs a center-back who plays older than his age. Cubarsí broke through in 2024 and went from debutant to starter fast.
The club highlighted how quickly it all moved for him, “a dream,” he called it and nothing about his body language says he’s giving that spot back. In these games, his calm on the ball under pressure will matter as much as his duels.
Arda Güler (Real Madrid)
Güler has looked like a conductor in preseason under Alonso,touches, tempo, the right pass at the right time.
There were match reports and breakdowns that singled him out for chance creation and command, and that picture matches what you see, he’s being trusted to link the play and feed Mbappé. For a 20-year-old, that is not a small assignment.
Endrick (Real Madrid)
He’s raw, fearless, and not easily rattled by noise. “I press that little ‘it doesn’t matter’ button. I only follow the advice of my coach and my teammates,” he said when asked about criticism last year.
Carlo Ancelotti, then coach, praised his early showings. That mentality travels. Whether he starts or comes in as a game-changer, he brings chaos to tired legs.
How Each Manager Can Influence the Key Battles
Let's imagine you’re Alonso.
• Pin Yamal deep without overcommitting. Start your rest defense before the final pass. Keep a spare behind your right-back. Make his touches face his own goal. The aim is to force Barcelona to recycle.
• Use Bellingham as the turn, not the end. If Jude is the “turn” in the middle third, the speed of the next pass into Mbappé is what burns Barcelona’s press.
• Exploit the blindside of their far interior. If Yamal holds width, the far-side interior has to help protect the half-space. Drag him to the ball, then switch to the far-side runner.
• Let Güler call the cadence. The game will get frantic; Güler’s job is to slow it just enough to pick the right dart. His recent form suggests he’s ready for that trust.
If you’re Flick.
• Trap the first pass into Bellingham. He wants to face forward. Shade his reception with the near winger and inside midfielder; when he opens his hips, pounce.
• Attack the space when Madrid’s full-back tucks. If Alonso inverts a full-back, the outside lane is there for Yamal to run early. Hit it before Madrid set the block.
• Keep the rotation honest on Mbappé. Don’t let one defender live on an island. Build a rule: first contact by the full-back, cover from the near center-back, and the right-sided midfielder sliding to take away the wall pass.
• Be ruthless on second balls. When Madrid stretch to press, there’s room behind the first line. Raphinha’s under-lapped darts and late runs from the eight can break their rhythm.
The Mental Game Behind the Rivalry
Derbies don’t just test systems, they test nerve. You can read it in how both coaches talk.
Flick keeps his praise clipped with a challenge baked in, even when discussing teenagers. After a big spring night, he liked Yamal’s grown-man performance but still drew the line about continued work. That’s how you keep a young star grounded.
Alonso, in turn, has set the tone with clarity. He’s told the world what Bellingham is in his system is a midfielder and he’s giving responsibility to Güler early.
The message inside the room is obvious, talent is non-negotiable here, but so is structure.
And if you think those nudges don’t matter, listen to the kids themselves. Endrick’s quote about ignoring outside noise and listening to “my coach and my teammates” is exactly the mentality Madrid need off the bench in a tight Clásico.
What the numbers and the news say right now
• Fixtures: LaLiga has announced the 2025–26 schedule, with the first Clásico at the Bernabéu in late October and the return match will be hot.
• Coaches: Real Madrid named Xabi Alonso head coach on a three-year deal (official). Barcelona’s Hansi Flick is in year two of his contract through 2026.
• Stars: Mbappé is a Madrid player on a five-year contract; unveiled before 80,000 and assigned No. 9 at the time.
• Form and roles: Reporting this summer centered on Bellingham’s deeper role under Alonso and on Güler’s responsibility in connecting play.
• Barça’s young core: Reuters and others repeatedly spotlighted Yamal’s impact and Flick’s public praise.
These are not rumors. They’re legit updates that determine the tactics before a ball rolls.
Three game-plans we might see
Clásico I at the Bernabéu (October)
• Madrid: A back four that guards like a back three when they have it. Right-back comes inside; left-back stays low as an outlet.
Bellingham and Tchouaméni form the spine, with Güler floating into the pocket. Vinícius starts left, Mbappé central. Madrid look to pin Barcelona’s right and then whip the switch.
• Barça: Press the first pass, protect the middle with an aggressive six, and let Yamal initiate isolations. On regains, look early to the far-side winger before Madrid’s rest defense sets.
• Decider: The first clean through-ball into Mbappé vs. the first clean cut-in from Yamal. Whichever star hits that moment first can tilt the crowd and the whistle.
Clásico II at Montjuïc (March)
• Madrid: More of the same structure, but with the patience to control tempo. If Güler starts, the form slows just enough to make Barcelona chase. If Rodrygo is used as the second forward, Madrid will look more direct.
• Barça: Flick may lean even harder on the counter-press. If they hem Madrid in, the staccato of second balls will suit them. Expect quick restarts and early crosses to create chaos.
•Decider: Midfield distances. If Bellingham and the six are clean in spacing, they’ll walk out of pressure. If not, Barcelona will keep Madrid pinned for long stretches.
Key Quotes That Highlight the Season’s Big Moments
• Xabi Alonso on Bellingham’s role: “I see Bellingham as a midfielder, he likes to participate in the buildup.” That’s the coach drawing the map for a 21-year-old star.
• Kylian Mbappé on joining Real Madrid: “I had the dream of playing for Real Madrid.” Different jersey, same stakes, now the dream faces Barcelona twice a year.
• Hansi Flick on Lamine Yamal: praise with a challenge, “he has to work hard to stabilize at this level and improve even more.” It’s how you turn hype into habit.
• Endrick on outside noise: “I only follow the advice of my coach and my teammates.” If he plays 20 minutes in a Clásico, you want that head on his shoulders.
What will decide the title race between these two?
• Who owns the middle 30 meters. If Alonso gets the Bellingham pivot right and finds the Güler-to-Mbappé timing, Madrid can control games without losing their threat.
If Barcelona keep turning regains into shots within 10 seconds, it’s their league to defend.
• Which teenager handles turbulence. Yamal and Güler will both play huge minutes. Cubarsí will see Vinícius and Mbappé in full stride. Endrick will get the “go change it” sub duty.
One of them is going to win a game this season by doing something brave in the 82nd minute.
• Set-piece detail. First contact wins. These teams are too good to give up free looks; whoever nails the screens and blocks better will steal points.
• Manager patience. Alonso needs to stick with the structure when results wobble. Flick needs to rotate without blunting the edge. The long season always asks for calm.
This rivalry is flipping into a duel of clarity. Flick knows what he wants from Barcelona’s kids and from the press. Alonso knows what he wants from Bellingham, from his full-backs, and from the spaces around Mbappé.
If you love the game inside the game, watch:
• how early Madrid’s spare defender sets to cut off Yamal.
• where Bellingham receives his first touch in each sequence.
• How often Güler touches the ball before the killer pass
and whether Barcelona keep finding those fast 3-on-2s off regains.
The first Clásico in late October will give us the first real answers, with the return match in spring likely to carry title weight. The rest is noise.
The season won’t be decided by who talks louder in August, it’ll be decided by who manages the quiet moments between passes.