Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: 5 Lessons from the 1st Leg of the Supercopa

The first leg of the Spanish Super Cup was played yesterday, and it did not disappoint. In all, four goals were scored, two by each side, in an action-packed game that left fans on the edges of their seats.

Going into the second leg, Barcelona have a clear advantage with two away goals. Before we look ahead to the second leg of the Supercopa de España, however, let's stop and reflect on some of the lessons learned from the first leg. 

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Games Can End Fairly

While I'm sure I will get some hate from both Real Madrid and Barcelona fans for saying this, I thought this was a Clasico that was played very fairly.

There was obviously still some very evident tension among the players, and the ill-will between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola has clearly not abated over the summer, but the game itself ended exactly as it should have.

There were controversial moments for both sides; Pepe's harsh tackle on Dani Alves showed that he, too, has not forgiven the Brazilian for his flopping antics of last season, and arguably should've resulted in him at least receiving a yellow card, whereas Victor Valdes' cheap trip on Ronaldo should've resulted in a penalty for Barcelona. However, in the end, it all cancelled out. 

Moments later, Pedro was shoved off the ball in the box by Marcelo, and even though there was nothing malicious in the move, it too seemed like a clear penalty call.

Real Madrid dominated the game possession-wise, but didn't capitalize and were punished by two moments of brilliance by Barcelona. 

In the end, complaints about Barca playing slow, possession football, or Real Madrid playing aggressive, defensive football are all invalid for this game—both teams went out attacking and came out with a fair scoreline for their efforts.

Karim Benzema Is Finally Ready To Fulfill His Potential

Okay, so I suppose it's not fair to say that Karim Benzema is just now fulfilling his potential, because he's been on great form since rediscovering his goalscoring abilities in the 20th fixture of the league vs. Mallorca last season.

But, on the evidence of his Supercopa first-leg performance, this season could be the season that Karim Benzema establishes himself as one of the most fearsome, consistent strikers on the planet and as Real Madrid's primary striker from the beginning of the campaign to the end.

In the Supercopa first leg, Karim Benzema was a handful for the Barcelona defense. Aside from directly setting up the first of Real Madrid's goals in the game, he regularly ran at Barcelona's defense and took the game to Barcelona. This was particularly impressive since Benzema was well-known for disappearing in Clasico matches prior to this game.

With an on-form, determined and prolific Karim Benzema, there's no telling how far Real Madrid can go. I don't want to get carried away with over-hyping the player before he has even scored his first goal of the campaign, but early signs are very, very good for the player.

David Villa Is as Dangerous as Ever

Readers who have followed my work on Bleacher Report from the start know I'm a huge David Villa fan. I don't know why I am—obviously there are many admirable qualities to David Villa, but which one it is that makes me like the guy, I don't actually know.

In any case, back in June I wrote an article on how I believed that Barca would be making a huge mistake in replacing Villa with Alexis Sanchez and, on Sunday, David Villa put in a good shift to prove that I was at least partially right.

Yes, David Villa was absent for large spells of time during the game and Alexis Sanchez was a very lively presence throughout the game, but who was it that created a sublime goal out of nothing to bring Barca back into a game they were being dominated in in the first half? David Villa.

Time and again David Villa has stepped up to the plate to score the big goals for Barcelona and Spain, and Sunday was no different. Though Pedro and Sanchez are excellent players in their own rights, neither has proven to be quite so cool under pressure as David Villa has.

If Guardiola was thinking of benching David Villa later in the season as Sanchez gets more comfortable with Barcelona's style, Villa will have surely given him something to think about with his goal.

Thiago Alcantara Is Still a Kid After All

Though his sterling performances this summer in Barca's preseason games and with the Spanish U-21 national team may have led us to believe otherwise, Thiago Alcantara's performance vs. Real Madrid has given us a reminder that the future Spanish superstar is indeed still a kid.

Alcantara did not necessarily have a bad game; he was able to show some fancy tricks on various occasions throughout the game and did not do bad with the ball at his feet. 

Still, he was unable to put his stamp on the game and control the tempo the way that Xavi would, and maybe Guardiola decided to start him to prove this exact point today.

Thiago Alcantara will no doubt continue to mature, and when Xavi does hang up his boots, Alcantara will likely be a very capable challenger to Fabregas for his spot in midfield.

Until then, however, the midfielder will continue to develop under the guidance of one of the best central midfielders to play the game in Pep Guardiola, as well as two of the world's best current central midfield playmakers in Fabregas and Xavi.

He may not play 30-plus games this season, and heck, I'd be surprised to see him reach 20-plus, but with the best mentors the world has to offer, and time on his side, Thiago Alcantara should easily go from the young, extremely talented kid he is today to Barca's next world-class midfielder. 

Fabio Coentrao Will Be Real Madrid's X-Factor

I have to say, I really wish Getty Images would give me a new picture of Fabio Coentrao to use—I've used this one at least three times now, and it's not a very flattering picture of him.

In any case, my opinion of Fabio Coentrao is slowly changing.

At first I thought he was a big waste of money, considering Real Madrid already have one of the finest left-backs in the world in Marcelo.

Then, after watching him in a couple of preseason games, I thought he was a useful player to have around, but still a confusing purchase considering Madrid could've just bought a top-class defensive midfielder for €30 million if that's how they were planning on using him.

Now, while I still believe Real Madrid should've gotten him for €10-€15 million cheaper, I believe he can become a very important member of the squad.

After coming on for Sami Khedira, Fabio Coentrao proved to be a nuisance for Barcelona. He didn't seem to have one fixed position—sometimes he'd appear to be a defensive midfielder, other times he'd appear to be a deep-lying playmaker and still other times he'd look like an attacking midfielder.

His running resulted in Real Madrid earning a free kick just outside the penalty box, which Ronaldo unfortunately could not convert.

While the jury is still out for me on exactly how effective and integral Coentrao will be for Real Madrid's upcoming season, I think his versatility, energy and ability to be a nuisance on the field will come in handy for Real Madrid down the stretch.

What Do You Think?

What better way to end this slideshow than with the two Real Madrid players that Barcelona hate the most embracing each other?

On the topic of the slideshow though, what do you guys think? What were some other lessons you think were learned from the game, and what do you think we can expect in the second leg? Do you think that thunder will strike twice and that we'll have another mostly fair game at the Camp Nou, or will controversy strike in favor of one of the sides?

I am strongly hoping for the former, but we'll see.

I look forward to reading your comments and thoughts below.