Xavi's unbeaten away record in LaLiga continues
FC Barcelona fans were yearning for a night like this. There have been nights of magic at the Santiago Bernabéu over the years, but perhaps none came quite as unexpectedly as this one. It wasn’t just the result. It was the absolute superiority of FC Barcelona against a team that is several points clear at the top of the table and was flying high after their comeback defeat of PSG in the Champions League.
Barça had not beaten Real Madrid in six games, and given the way the 2021/22 campaign started, and despite the remarkable improvement in fortunes since Xavi took over, most neutrals were still expecting this game to be a victory for the home side. How wrong they were.
Away form was the biggest problem before Xavi arrived. But since he’s been in charge, Barça have yet to lose a league game on the road. There have been six wins (at Villarreal, Mallorca, Alavés, Valencia, Elche and now Real Madrid) and four draws at Osasuna, Sevilla, Granada and Espanyol.
Few managers can boast a record to compare with that, although Ernesto Valverde managed to avoid defeat in his first 18 away games in La Liga, so there’s still some way to go before a new club record might be set.
What a start for Xavi!
Xavi has become the third Barça coach to win his first Clásico by four goals or more. Ferdinand Daučík won 7-2 in 1951 and Helenio Herrera won 4-0 in 1959, but both those games were played at home. To win 4-0 away is simply incredible. And his team produced the third highest shot count under a manager in his first Clásico, ten, only surpassed by Ernesto Valverde (2017) and Frank Rijkaard (2003).
Parallels with 2003
It was game that harked back to other great nights at the Bernabéu, such as the 3-0 win inspired by Ronaldinho, the 6-2 victory under Guardiola, the 2-0 in the Champions League, the 4-0 with Luis Enrique or that amazing 3-2 comeback that produced the iconic image of Leo Messi holding up his shirt.
But perhaps the Clásico it most resembled was the 2-1 win in the 2003/04 season, with the goals scored by future managers Luis Enrique and Xavi Hernández.
That was another season that Barça had started in poor fashion, but bolstered by rising stars from La Masia and the winter signing of Edgar Davids, things took a remarkable change for the better, and like this season, it was the win at the Bernabéu that truly heralded in the news… Barça are back!