August 13th, Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium.
In the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, Real Madrid visited Barcelona.
This was also the second match between the two sides that summer. They had previously faced each other in the International Champions Cup, when Barcelona had beaten Real Madrid 3–2. This time, however, they were competing for the Spanish Super Cup.
Barcelona still lined up in their traditional 4-3-3 formation against Real Madrid. Ter Stegen was in goal, with Alba, Umtiti, Pique, and Vidal across the back; Iniesta, Busquets, and Rakitić in midfield; and Deulofeu, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Messi up front.
Their two recently acquired reinforcements, Dembele and Paulinho, were both left out of the starting lineup. Clearly, Valverde had chosen familiarity over experimentation. After all, in a crucial battle, the team's understanding and coordination had to be taken into consideration.
Real Madrid, by contrast, appeared somewhat bolder.
Courtois was in goal, with Marcelo, Vermaelen, Varane, and Carvajal in defense; David Silva, Kanté, and De Bruyne in midfield; and Suarez partnering Mbappé in a two-man strike force, while Isco operated as a free-roaming playmaker behind them.
This was also one of the ways Yang Yang and Zidane used Isco: letting the Spanish midfielder carry the ball forward and charge at the opponent's defense.
Once the match began, the two sides immediately engaged in fierce competition for possession.
With David Silva and De Bruyne in midfield, Real Madrid's intention to contest possession was obvious, beyond simply rotating positions.
Yang Yang and Zidane had both guessed Barcelona's starting lineup, and they also knew where Barcelona's problems lay.
To put it plainly, Barcelona still had the same old problem: insufficient running in midfield.
Many people missed Barcelona's possession-based football from back then, but they overlooked the fact that the true foundation of Barcelona's