Following the arrival of Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid, the summer was dominated by Madridistas’ excitement over their offensive trio comprising Jude Bellingham, Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr., dubbed “BMV”.
However, heading into Saturday’s El Clasico, it is Barcelona who have quietly assembled a front three in Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha that is proving significantly more effective.
Lewandowski, Raphinha, Yamal outshining BMB
Indeed, Barcelona have found perfect harmony in their attacking trio. The numbers are remarkable, with Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine contributing to 34 goals – exactly double their Real Madrid counterparts’ tally of 17.
Breaking down the numbers, Lewandowski has netted 12 goals with two assists, Raphinha has scored and assisted five goals apiece, while Yamal has registered four goals and six assists – totalling 34 goal contributions.
In contrast, Real Madrid’s much-raved about BMV has been far from the level expected this season.
Bellingham has failed to score a single goal and has provided just one assist. Meanwhile, Mbappe has managed six goals (three penalties) and one assist, while Vinicius leads their stats with five goals and four assists, bringing their combined total to 17 goal contributions.
Real Madrid will field their BMV trio this Saturday due to Rodrygo’s injury. Carlo Ancelotti will likely deploy his preferred setup with Vinicius and Mbappe up top, while Bellingham can make dangerous runs from deeper positions, a strategy that served him well last season.
However, the key difference lies in Hansi Flick’s team-building approach, whereas Real Madrid continue to rely on moments of individual brilliance from their players.
After all, Barcelona’s strength extends beyond their front three, with players like Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, and Pedri providing additional attacking threat from midfield, while Pablo Torre has also been among the goals when given a chance.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s midfield largely depends on Fede Valverde as their sole consistent attacking threat from deep, apart from occasional contributions from Luka Modric.
Barcelona have been the best team in La Liga so far and the table is an indicator of the same. A win tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu will take Flick & co. six points clear of the current champions, consolidating their grip at the top of the pile.
