Away from home, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 1–0. After an outstanding ninety-minute performance, Mascherano was named Man of the Match. The Argentine defensive midfielder was praised for proving his worth once again through a brilliant performance and reclaiming his place in the midfield competition.
After the match, Marca openly stated that Real Madrid should keep Mascherano, because the Argentine defensive midfielder was an important stabilizer in Real Madrid's midfield, especially with Modrić absent.
AS editor-in-chief Alfredo also said that Mascherano's presence had made Real Madrid's defense solid again.
"In fact, Ancelotti's team has had defensive problems throughout this season. To some extent, it was a trade-off: Ancelotti chose to sacrifice a little defensive stability in order to unleash the team's attacking firepower."
Alfredo believed Real Madrid had made the right choice in the first half of the season. The presence of two technical midfielders, combined with an attacking midfielder, had given Real Madrid tremendous creativity and control in midfield, allowing their attack to explode completely. But with Modrić injured, that style was clearly no longer suitable for Real Madrid.
"At the very least, we can't find another midfielder as well-rounded as Modrić."
The AS editor-in-chief compared Modrić to Deco during Barcelona's Dream Team II era, believing that both midfielders were extremely versatile. They could play as attacking midfielders, central midfielders, or defensive midfielders, and were outstanding at both attacking and defending.
"In fact, everyone has always had a certain concern. Deco's form and physical condition also declined rapidly after he turned thirty. That was almost an irreversible trend. Now, Modrić's serious injury has further deepened outside concerns: can the Croatian midfielder truly recover his peak form?"
By September 2015, Modrić would officially turn thirty. His four-month absence due to this serious injury was indeed worrying, because suffering a major injury