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With Abidal ruled out for the rest of the season and Puyol out injured for God knows how long, the defensive pool is looking rather shallow. Javier Masscherano picked up a one match ban on Saturday and is set to miss El Clasico this coming Saturday at the Bernabeu. This is a very important match and our defense will surely be tested.
On the attacking end, David Villa has failed to find the back of the net in eight games now. And Bojan has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury. Still this team is full of world class players that can carry the team through when the squad depth seems lacking, and there's a nice 8 point cushion between them and second place Real Madrid.
Good news is the emergence of Thiago Alcantara. Pep looks like he's trying to integrate Thiago into the squad (or at least give the others a rest) and we're getting to see his talents in the first team. He appears to be the true heir to Xavi's role in the center of midfield. Thiago recognizes that being with the first team is "a reward" and said, "I'll take the opportunity with everything I have."
Pep only needed a little encouragement from our blog here. Should we be expecting a shout out in the near future?
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