Well, it’s that time again when most of the world stops to enjoy El Clásico. Barça travel to Madrid Saturday to face their arch rival Real Madrid. Barça sit atop of the standings with a four point advantage over Los Blancos. A win on Saturday would give them a beneficial seven point lead. However, this game seems to raise more concern than hope for some of the Blaugrana faithful with some issues that need to be addressed.
Luis Enrique’s era has been superb with the minor hiccup against Malaga and disappointing showing against Paris Saint-Germaine. He heads to the Santiago Bernabéu with a four point cushion over his rival, Carlos Ancelotti. Last season, Tata Martino and the players departed the same stadium as victors following their 4-3 victory. The task at hand is for the manager and players to leave the stadium with a victory.
There’s no debating that this team is still a work in progress. The defending has been shaky at best with Pique still inconsistent, Bartra still lacking experience while Mathieu is recovering a knock. The full backs are such an important part of the offense since Lucho prefers to rely on these players than wingers but that also exposes the defense. Who will start in the back four is everyone’s guess and unlike Tata, Lucho will not allow the media to be present for the whole training to publicize the starting lineup later on.
The other issue is what is Lucho’s Plan A? Finally, Luis Suarez will be allowed to play with the team, hence why it is a work in progress. Will we finally get to see Lucho’s Plan A come to fruition? The other concern is if Plan A is not working, what is the Plan B? The draw against Malaga showed us that Lucho’s strategy was to replace a player with another player who plays in the same role. Swapping out players is not exactly a great back up plan and his 3-4-3 Plan B against PSG did not convince many.
This is only Match Day 9 but a win goes a long way in ensuring Barça have a good grasp on the league crown with a commanding seven point lead. A loss means Barça will have Real Madrid, Atletico, Valencia and even Sevilla breathing down their necks. Nevertheless, time has shown us to expect the unexpected when it comes to this game and I can never doubt these players in winning at the Santiago Bernabéu. Need I remind you that ever since that embarrassing 4-1 loss in Madrid back in 2007-2008 season, Barça have only lost once in that stadium over the years with four wins and a draw in league play. Will Saturday make it a fifth for a Manita?
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