The morning after the night before, and Barcelona are left to lick their wounds after a Clasico defeat that, whilst not devastating, has exposed the Catalan club’s shortcomings once again.
After a midweek defeat in Paris, where Barca were eventually overrun despite commanding much of the game, they succumbed in another big match.
For any culer that has had the brass neck to suggest that ‘Barca are back,’ Sunday night’s performance was yet another reality check for Hansi Flick and his squad.
Yes, they
are improving, but no, they’re not yet ready to feast at the top table of European football.
Jose Mourinho showed just how easy it is to dismantle Flick’s swashbucklers, simply by cutting off the supply lines out wide, playing neat and compact, and hitting Barca on the break.
For all of the Blaugranes’ attacking verve, they’re still susceptible to balls over the top and against strikers with pace.
On another night, Kylian Mbappe could’ve at least doubled his scoring output, and the hosts would’ve just had to suck it up.
That lack of cohesion at the back is ultimately what is going to cost Barca again this season, and the club really do need to take a long, hard look at themselves if they can’t see that their problems begin and end with not having an elite centre-back pairing.
With no disrespect to Andreas Christensen or Eric Garcia, both of whom have filled in alongside Pau Cubarsi, the former is too injury-prone, and the latter has become the ‘Swiss Army knife’ of the squad, filling in wherever needed.
Arguably, his best position isn’t as centre-back anyway, though a sustained presence there might at least work in his favour.
Jules Kounde’s may well be behind him; and Gerard Martin showed once again that he doesn’t really have sufficient enough quality to be considered a first-choice alongside Cubarsi.
With Ronald Araujo showing the form of his early Barca days at Liverpool, could it be beyond the realm of possibility to end his loan early and get him back where he belongs? Or has that ship now sailed owing to the number of poor performances from the Uruguayan in the months leading up to his loan and the fact that he doesn’t really fit Hansi Flick’s system?
Ideally, a player in the mould of Inigo Martinez is required at the club in double-quick time.
A no-nonsense, experienced centre-back who is solid in the air, has all of the physical attributes necessary to succeed in the role, has the nous to break up attacks at source, and who can provide a supplementary attacking presence when needed.
It’s disparaging and downright disrespectful to refer to him and his ilk as ‘old school,’ because there’s a reason why clubs will fall over themselves to sign these types of centre-backs when they become available.
There can be no more excuses from the board now. A top-class central defender is needed before any other signings are made.
