El Clasico is one of my favorite football rivalries. The others being Liverpool - Manchester United and Selangor - Kedah. I have something about football rivalries, the history and intense building up prior kick off. And of course it is nice to see how far passion and loyalty could take a fan in a football match.

Football is a game of balance. A team can be known to bang goals after goals, an indication of a team's attacking prowess, and another might be famous for their rock solid defenders, a sign of a team's defending ability. They might be a joy to watch, but at the end of the season, chances are, they won't be lifting any silverware.

Because attacking alone is not enough without defending, vice versa.

Real Madrid is an example of football imbalance, despite financially possible to rule the world. Unable to get Arsene Wenger is a problem of meagre worth if their defensive line is a terrible fit in estimation of the club's value.

Up front, they are looking unstoppable. Cristiano Ronaldo led the new era Galacticos with Kaka and Karim Benzema joining him by his side. Then came Xabi Alonso to provide, akin to the role of David Beckham in the previous Galacticos era.

Real Madrid have too big a pool of attacking players. Raul never gets old, Ruud van Nistelrooy is desperate to get playing time and youngster Gonzalo Higuain looks confident to fill the massive boot Raul and Ruud would leave vacant.

Even if Kaka is unavailable, Guti should be more than ready to roam the midfield area, so do Granero and the Diarras.

The point is, Real Madrid should have no problems to bag goals. Their problems is how not to concede.

Iker Casillas is a Spanish goalkeeping legend, even when he is playing now. But a great goalkeeper needs a great line of defenders in front of him. Peter Schmeichel wouldn't have been great without Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen, and of course, Buffon is not a Buffon without Cannavaro and Materrazi.

No offense, but I think Raul Albiol and Pepe aren't Galacticos material, the bones of contention to Real Madrid's massive ambition.

It was absolutely no surprise when they lost to Barcelona an hour ago. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a world class striker, everyone knows that. But you are a Real Madrid player, a world class team. Defensive fluke is the last thing you want to commit if you are playing at that high level of football.

The other problem is Pellegrini's inability to exploit the big pool of attacking player he has by not employing Kaka, arguably the best playmaker in the world, in a position where he could freely roam as a playmaker.

A more astute Pep Guardiola, on the other hand was quick to spot the hole and appointed Xavi and Iniesta to easily outmuscle the lonely Xabi Alonso. Hence, without midfielders' effectivity, money spent on Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema is wasted.

I don't have to tell you how quiet Kaka has become when he joined Real Madrid from Milan.

But the loudest men on the pitch weren't Xavi and Iniesta, but the 2Ps: Puyol and Pique, whom rock solid defending was beyond brilliant. Victor Valdez had the best of time with nothing much to do when his to centre backs were on fire. Cristiano Ronaldo looked like a little kid in need of an ice-cream and Kaka was a clueless tramp.

Possession was in favour of Barca, thanks to Xavi and Iniesta's calm, but the number of shot saw Madrid to be more superior - 16 shots but only two on target is enough to explain Barca's not only good in attacking.

El Clasico ends, and a balanced team get the better of a financially balanced team.

P.S. The picture is a deliberate effort to show how well balanced Barcelona as a team.