Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: Scoring Their Rivalry as It Stands Right Now

El Clasico. To the world, the Barcelona and Real Madrid rivalry is huge. But to the fans, the greatest rivalry in the world cannot even begin to be measured.

The first meeting between these two giants took place in 1902 and resulted in a Barcelona victory. After several decades the rivalry caught steam and has now developed into what we know it to be today.

According to the sources from Wikipedia, Real Madrid has won the most official matches while Barcelona has secured more total victories.

But while fans will always point to the past to argue why their team is better, the only true measure of a club is to look at their current form.

Looking at how the rivalry stands right now, it is clear that Real Madrid has taken back control.

After sitting in the shadow of Barcelona for nearly five years, Los Blancos have been pushing to overtake their Catalan rivals. Their time has finally come and a new chapter in El Clasico has turned.

Head to Head

During Barcelona’s dominant run over the last several years, Real Madrid succumbed to some very difficult defeats. From losing 5-0 to 3-1, it has been clear that Madrid was not even on the same level as their colleagues.

However, over the last two seasons Real Madrid has begun to truly equal their opponents in direct competition.

The Madrid-based club has not only won the last two encounters, but they have looked the stronger side in the last seven meetings.

Barcelona has struggled to win in recent meetings while Real Madrid has overpowered their rivals in every way.

Last week saw the two sides meet twice in five days. In the two encounters, Real Madrid was clearly the better side. They implemented a solid strategy and played perfectly.

Real Madrid entered both games knowing that they were not the favorites. But after two dominant performances, it is now time to claim that the tides have turned.

Long ago are the days of Barcelona surging to 5-0 victories. Now it looks like Real Madrid will be in charge of the rivalry for a while.

Much praise will go to manager Jose Mourinho for the recent success, but the true praise must go to the Madrid players.

Player Performance

Lionel Messi has been the star of Barcelona for quite some time now. He has always been a huge Clasico performer and has recently tied the record for most goals in the meeting between the two sides.

But recent matches suggest that Messi is no longer the biggest performer in the competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo has arisen as the deadliest player when the two sides meet. Besides scoring in multiple Clasicos in a row, Barcelona has no answer for the Portuguese star.

Though Messi and Ronaldo will continue to battle it out for the claim of being the best player in the world, there are other stars on both Clasico squads.

In recent meetings, the stars have certainly showed up big time. But it is now time to argue that Real Madrid may finally have the better squad.

Saying that Barcelona’s defense has struggled lately is an understatement. La Blaugrana has conceded in over 13 straight games and it becoming very worrying.

The Madrid defense has also struggled this season, but not to the same extent. They have been very susceptible to set pieces, but as a whole have been stronger than Barcelona.

Though each team side has their own style of play, the attack will always be the first area that fans look at.

Barcelona has found scoring hard to come by lately. Not only have they been hard-pressed to find the back of the net against Real Madrid, they have found scoring very difficult for over a month now.

La Blaugrana looks overly dependent on Lionel Messi, and Real Madrid has shown that they are a more balanced squad.

It was evident in the last two Clasicos that the entire Real Madrid attack was dangerous. And while the streaking Blancos looked deadly, Barcelona’s attacking options seemed few and far between.

La Blaugrana can still boast the best midfield in the world. The likes of Xavi and Busquets have the pitch under control. But with a struggling defense behind them and attack in front of them, the strength of the midfield may not mean much.

Simply put, this Barcelona squad is having a very tough time lately. They have fallen to their rivals in a disappointing way, but also look weaker against other teams as well.

But while Barcelona continues to look weak, Real Madrid is now peaking. Los Blancos have a deadly attack that looks unstoppable when at its best and a defense that has been strengthened with the emergence of Raphael Varane.

The Case for Trophies

The first thing that both clubs will run to in the argument of who is better, is the trophies that their team has won.

In the past it has been Real Madrid who brought in the most silverware. But over the last decade, Barcelona has won more trophies than any other club in the world.

However, looking at the past is no way to judge the present.

In the present campaign Real Madrid has bested Barcelona in pursuit of titles, but only slightly. Los Blancos took the Spanish Supercup from their rivals to begin the season and have since knocked Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey.

La Blaugrana will turn to their lead in La Liga, and rightly so. With a 13 point lead over the Whites in the league, Barcelona may have already won La Liga.

This trophy will be a huge one when looking at the rivalry, but fans must understand that it is not a great representation of the rivalry. Barcelona won the league in the first half of the season, but in direct competition lately has looked much weaker than Real Madrid.

Some would even argue that, with more time, Real Madrid could make a comeback in the league due to Barcelona’s current struggles. Though this may be a stretch, it does show the state of both sides.

No doubt, the Champions League is the biggest trophy that both clubs will be playing for. Though it is highly unlikely that the European competition will give fans a Clasico, we must judge them based on their form in the competition.

Though Barcelona won their group, they looked shaky in almost every match. Real Madrid, on the other hand, did not win their group but did show better form in the wins that they secured.

But the best way to judge their current state may be in their most recent Champions League matches.

Real Madrid drew with Manchester United in their first leg and has a great chance to go through to the next round. However, Barcelona fell to AC Milan at the San Siro and is now forced to mount a comeback at the Camp Nou.

While one side looks to go through to the next round, the other may already be out of the competition.

In pursuit of silverware this season, it looks as though Barcelona will only get the better of Real Madrid in one competition—La Liga. But Madridistas will point out that Barcelona never beat their rivals in league.

As we can see, it is apparent that Real Madrid has taken control of the rivalry. Though they may not be worlds apart from Barcelona, they are a stronger side now.

Barcelona has some soul searching to do if they are to take command of the Clasico rivalry. But for now they will have to take second place while Real Madrid enjoy their recent success.

How do you view the Clasico rivalry? Is Real Madrid finally on top, or does Barcelona still have command? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts and comments below.

 Tre’ Atkinson. Follow me on Twitter for more discussions on Barcelona, Real Madrid, and El Clasico.

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