Flick passes first Clásico test with flying colours

Hans-Dieter Flick is working miracles at FC Barcelona. He has brought personality, self-belief and charisma to a side so solid that they are almost impossible to beat. And if the 4-1 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday wasn't already more than enough to prove it, they have just utterly humiliated Real Madrid in their very own stadium, winning 4-0 and playing outstanding football in the process. 

That's the same Real Madrid that won La Liga and the Champions League last season and was just two games shy of the all-time longest unbeaten run in Liga history. The same side that had just trounced Borussia Dortmund 5-2 and was hoping to pull level with the Catalans at the top of the table. But two goals from Lewandowski and one each from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha soon put paid to any of that, and after some amazing wins this season, including seven goals against Valladolid, and five against Sevilla, Villarreal and Young Boys, tonight has brought surely the sweetest victory of all. 

History maker

It's not easy to win a Clásico. Especially at the first attempt. That's something that only one of Barça's last five coaches, Tata Martino, managed to do in 2013. And it's even harder to do when your first ever game against Real Madrid is at the Bernabéu. Nobody has done that in their first game as Barça boss since Terry Venables' side won 3-0 in 1984.

But for your side to win by four goals in your first ever Clásico, and away from home? That's something that's only ever happened once before, and we have to go all the way back to 1926 to find it, when the Austrian Jack Domby (whose real name was actually Richard Kohn) led his Barça side to a 5-1 victory at the old Chamartín stadium.