It is all looking good and rosy for Barcelona again as they sit at the summit of La Liga and have won three from three in the Champions League group stages. They are unbeaten in all competitions this season and look to be performing well under new coach Tito Vilanova.
Barcelona are scoring goals at will and their defence… ah well, that isn’t so good. For years Barcelona have been known for breathtaking attacking styles and their unreal ability at keeping the ball for long periods of a match. But their defensive strengths have never been a strong point and yet again it is the only area that troubles Barcelona.
Being a big fan of Barcelona I often watch their matches on a Saturday or Sunday evening and recently their defensive frailties have definitely been exposed. Let me put it into perspective for you all. Last Saturday Barcelona were 3-0 up inside twenty minutes and they looked as though they were going to put home side Deportivo to the sword and finish with a cricket score.
However before they knew it Barcelona were back to 2-3 after only 40 minutes. This was down to a poor tackle by Mascherano that led to a penalty and the other coming from a corner that wasn’t dealt with leading to a Deportivo player slamming it home. After the break Barca struggled constantly in defence and in the end they had to rely on you know who to dig them out of a hole as Messi’s hat trick made the score 4-5 to Barcelona.
That night Barca were without Pique, Puyol and Busquets, all three who are tall and capable of winning a header. They had Mascherano at centre back who struggles to win headers with his lack of height and new boy Song playing as a temporary centre back. Youngster Montoya played at right back and seem to shy away from anything physical.
Vilanova and his side they were let off the hook but the question is will they be let off the hook against a stronger team like Real Madrid or any one they meet in the later stages of the Chamipons league. From corners Barcelona simply look poor without the commanding presence of Puyol and Pique. They haven’t a clue at all.
On Tuesday against Celtic the one of few attacks the Scots had resulted in a goal and it was an in swinging free kick that was won in the air by Samaras only for it to rebound off the back of Mascherano and into the net.
Although recently Barca’s defensive problems have been evident with their play, it has been a problem for years and for me if the attack have a rare off day they will shed goal after goal. In the El Classicos they can’t deal with Cristiano Ronaldo’s ability in the air and it will in the end cost them, possibly the title. Vilanova needs to see when Pique and co are back and to see whether he needs to go back and look for a traditional centre back with plenty of aerial ability in the Januray transfer window to prevent goals going in too often.
Daniel Clark
@DanClincs