If, somehow, it wasn’t clear which of Real Madrid and Barcelona desperately needed a resounding result in Sunday’s edition of El Clásico prior to the match, it should be abundantly clear now.
Barcelona’s 4–0 rout of Real at the Bernabéu might not swing a title race or even have any immediate ramifications. But it does place another solid brick in the foundation that Xavi is setting as manager for a club that had utterly lost its way while planting a seed for the future as the story between the two rivals continues to be written.
Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, Real Madrid will almost certainly win La Liga’s title this season. It remains alive in the Champions League quarterfinals after humiliating PSG, is the clear favorite to do that again by landing Kylian Mbappé this summer and is on significantly steadier footing than its crisis-hit rival.
