Real Madrid and Barcelona stars met with differing treatment amid struggles

Real Madrid are on the up again after three straight clean sheets and three wins have brought them within a point of Barcelona at the top of the Liga table. The Blaugrana meanwhile could not react against Las Palmas, despite Hansi Flick making five changes by the hour-mark, albeit one enforced by injury.

Kylian Mbappe grabbed the second goal for Los Blancos in their 2-0 win over Getafe, but his struggles continue to be in evidence, as he missed two good chances one-on-one with David Soria. He nearly got a second late on after an excellent run though, and he looked more confident.

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It was noted that despite his penalty miss at Anfield last week, and whistles in previous weeks, when his name was read out by the stadium announcer at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mbappe’s name was met with a roar. There were whistles in the second half, but they were for the Real Madrid team rather than Mbappe.

The opposite was true for Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman was whistled during Barcelona’s win over Brest, and despite Hansi Flick’s calls for the Blaugrana support to get behind all of their players, de Jong was met with the same treatment on Saturday when he was sent on to try and rescue the match against Las Palmas.

Frenkie de Jong still has pain in his ankle, and both in competition and training, he shows noticeable insecurity and excessive caution in duels. This hesitancy clashes with Hansi Flick's style, which demands intensity, relentless pressing. So, unless De Jong returns to 100%, his…

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 2, 2024

The situations of both players are obviously different. De Jong has been at Barcelona for five years without ever really making his mark on the Barcelona midfield, and has been criticised heavily for a number of years. Mbappe, despite his rocky relationship with Real Madrid fans due to his decision to reject them twice, still has more leeway with which to operate.

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