Colossal Schröder tests if Real Madrid Women can close gap on Barcelona | OneFootball

Felicia Schröder has needed little, very little time, to explain why Real Madrid decided to change its policy toward the women’s team this summer. Five league goals and one every 28 minutes have made the Swedish forward the most visible face of Pau Quesada’s deeply revamped side. This Sunday (19:00, DAZN) comes the test that will truly measure it: Barcelona.

The setting is no small matter either. The first Liga F Clásico to be played at Camp Nou pits the team that has dominated Spanish football for years against a Madrid side that has decided to speed up in an attempt to catch it. So far, the numbers say that more than a gap, there has been a yawning chasm.

Barcelona has won 26 of the 27 meetings between the two sides and last season took all six official matches. The aggregate scorelines were especially cruel to Madrid: 25 goals conceded and only two scored. In the Champions League quarter-finals, the punishment reached 2-6 in Madrid and 6-0 in Barcelona.

Madrid revamps its squad and Barça loses club legends

But many things have changed since then. Real Madrid has carried out one of its biggest overhauls since creating the women’s section and has done something that had been uncommon until now: paying significant transfer fees. Schröder, Elisa Senss and Janou Levels arrived for a fee, while Andreia Jacinto, Lineth Beerensteyn and Arianna Caruso completed a major rebuild.

The result is already starting to show. Pau Quesada’s team comes into this in second place, unbeaten, and with 13 points out of a possible 15. Schröder has provided the goals, and Madrid has also sent another signal outside Spain by going toe to toe with Manchester City and earning a draw in England.

While Madrid was adding pieces, Barcelona was saying goodbye to an important part of its recent history. Alexia Putellas, Mapi León, Ona Batlle and Salma Paralluelo have left the club. Four players who were directly involved in building the team that turned the women’s Clásico into a match that was almost always one-sided.

That does not mean Barça has stopped being Barça. It has won its five league matches, has scored 21 goals, and still boasts an extraordinary squad. That is precisely why this match serves as a much better gauge than any conclusion drawn from the summer transfer market.

After 26 defeats in 27 Clásicos, simply looking Barça in the eye would already be news. Beating it would prove that the gap is finally starting to close.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.