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El Clasico 10/25/14: What We Should Save Done, and How to Improve in the Future

First off, I think we all have to acknowledge that this game was a disaster. after the first 20 or so minutes, Barca couldn't take it anymore. However, there were a few positives to take from this; Suarez looked quite dangerous, Neymar seems to be finally fitting in well with the team, and the biggest is that none of the issues that I am about to list off are going to be rendered unfix-able by our transfer ban. I would seem that our issues come from some poor decisions on the part of Lucho, and some re-adjustment for Suarez to a more physical game.

Issue #1: One of the most glaring problems that we had was that Lucho felt content defending the onslaught of Ronaldo and Marcelo along the left wing with Alves at the right-back position and Xavi at the right center-midfielder slot. We saw a Dani Alves who was flying up the sideline like a headless chicken being caught out of the play again and again, leaving poor Xavi to fend for himself against Madrid's relentless counter-attacks. This strategy might work against La Liga minnows, but it is terribly inadequate against a team with the talent, speed, and tactical awareness of Real Madrid.

The Solution: Lucho should try starting Rakitic at the right center-midfielder slot for at least the first hour of the game to balance out Alves' inability to defend like we need him to in some situations. Rakitic has shown that his physicality and adequate aerial ability have been what we Barca fans have yearned for a while now. Lucho could also give Montoya a chance against tough opponents, where his defensive abilities would be on display instead of a relentless flurry of crosses.

Issue #2: We thought bringing in two new center-backs would spell the end of Barca's insistence on converting good defensive-midfielders to OK defenders. Much to the ire of the BB crowd, Macherano has remained one of Lucho's go-to center-backs. Although El Jefecito proved that he is an excellent tackler and ground defender, his aerial ability is lacking due to his lack of height. This was evident during Madrid's corner goal and during many other instances in the game. However, he looked solid when defending and breaking up attacks that came along the ground.

The Solution: On behalf of almost all of us in BB, let Masche compete with Busquets for the pivot role and let Bartra prove himself in big games. Is it really that hard with FOUR natural center-backs on the team now?

Issue #3: This is a small one, but still something that could be improved. Most of us can agree that Suarez had a solid start to his Barcelona career, but it seemed that the four months of time he spent out of competitive fixtures affected his fitness, reflexes, and strength during the match. To me, at least, he looked a little bit soft when a defender engaged shoulder-to-shoulder with him, seemed to tire out towards the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half, and he did not seem to be quite quick enough to react to some of the passes and balls that were coming his way.

The Solution: There really isn't a need for a solution as much as there is a need for more playing time and a little bit of extra work to get back into top shape and get used to the physicality of top-level football.

Issue #4: Overall, it seemed hard for Barca to really get things going on the attacking end after the first half, one of the issues that I noticed was that Mathieu was not really suited to coming up the wings and joining in the attack (the complete opposite of the Alves situation.) Many times, when he received the ball, he would not be able to properly control it and keep the attack going the way Barca needed. Although he was able to defend quite well, Madrid took the route of avoiding him and attacking down the left flank more often.

The Solution: Although he is a solid center-back for Barca, he is not really the kind of player that we needed at the left-back position. Alba seems like the better option for this type of game, especially with his ability to maintain possession and make quick runs into the box to deliver passes to the middle.

Those the the problems I noticed in terms of the lineup and the individual players, the big tactical problem seemed to be that Lucho lacked a plan B after the penalty and Barca fell apart. They also seemed to struggle with communicating when the stadium got loud. This was evident when Iniesta failed to realize that Masche was coming to clear the ball and knocked it past him, leading to the third goal that Madrid scored. It was also apparent in some of the smaller situations, such as when Alves had the ball taken from behind while he was moving slowly to look for a pass.

Overall, Barca seemed to be beating themselves, and the result of the match was quite embarrassing. But fixing the issues that they ran into during the game will not be much harder than tweaking the starting 11 and finding ways to recover after conceding goals.

<em>This does not represent the views of Barca Blaugranes or SBNation</em>

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