Barcelona noticed their El Clasico successful streak come to an finish on Sunday, as they have been defeated 2-1 by Actual Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu. It was a troublesome afternoon for the Catalans, who have been nowhere close to their finest.
A variety of Barcelona gamers have been off the boil, with probably the most notable being Lamine Yamal. However as a crew collective, Actual Madrid outplayed them, which might be a giant concern for head coach Hansi Flick, who served a one-match touchline ban on the Bernabeu, having been despatched off final weekend.
Former Arsenal supervisor Arsene Wenger had his say on the match (by way of Diario AS), as he made it clear that Actual Madrid have been far and away the higher crew over Barcelona.
“El Clasico was a bit like a duel of males towards boys. Actual Madrid’s defence was a lot stronger than Barcelona’s. In assault, Actual Madrid all the time appeared able to scoring, whereas Barcelona appeared ineffective. They’d a variety of the ball, however they by no means actually appeared capable of rating. I give credit score to Xabi Alonso, he balanced his crew effectively.”
Accidents performed their half for Barcelona
Whereas it’s true that Barcelona have been outplayed, additionally it is true that they have been with out quite a few key gamers. Joan Garcia, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski have been all absent on account of damage, and had they been accessible, there may be scope to counsel that they’d have competed higher.
For now, it’s again to the drafting board for Flick, who should work out a means for Barcelona to drastically enhance amid their ongoing damage woes. They’ve a much-needed free midweek earlier than internet hosting Elche subsequent weekend, and the German supervisor will you should definitely work on issues on the coaching pitch forward of that match in Catalonia.