Barcelona’s defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico saw Hansi Flick once again line his team up with Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia in central defence at the Santiago Bernabeu,
It was the third game in a row that
the two players had started in the heart of the backline, with Ronald Araujo left on the bench for the match.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has shared his thoughts on the game and feels Hansi Flick erred by not starting the Uruguayan up against Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
“In the centre of defence I don’t understand why Eric Garcia played, who, football-wise, is a little better than Araújo. But Araújo has the physical power to chase the opponent more, especially when you defend so high. He would have been the ideal player for that style of play and that opponent. The truth is that I can’t understand it,” he said on the ‘Einfach mal Luppen’ podcast.
“When you have Mbappé and Vinícius in front of you, you need someone who can match that pace. Araújo can do that. I was very surprised by his absence.
“I already commented at the time: Íñigo Martínez was very important. Last year he was the Barça centre-back with the best ball output. He wasn’t the fastest, but he was an excellent defender and had a great building game. Against Madrid, his absence was noticeable when the team suffered high pressure. They did not replace him and that is taking its toll on them.”
While Madrid took all three points, Kroos did highlight how they were facing a Barcelona team without a host of key stars due to injury.
“It’s fair to say that Barça arrived very weakened: from the goalkeeper to the coach because Flick couldn’t be on the bench,” he added.
“They were also missing key players such as Raphinha, Dani Olmo or Lewandowski and that is very noticeable in a match of these characteristics. I’m sure they’ll go further.”
