When things could not go all the more wrong, Barcelona have dropped to 2nd place in La Liga. The Blaugranas are having one of their worst patches of form after what was a promising start to the season. The team played Celta Vigo last Sunday night at Camp Nou. The game was a tough one for the Blaugranas with Celta being such a bogey side. The first half and the second one were 2 different stories. Things looked far from comfortable in the second half for Barcelona. Had it not been for Marc Andre Ter Stegen’s heroic performance yet again, Barcelona would have surely have dropped points.
This performance was followed up by a 3-3 draw against Inter Milan which has made life difficult for them. They are on the verge of playing Europa League football once again this season. It feels so harsh given the squad they have got this season. Lewandowski has been nothing but sensational for them. But the Polish have not had much support which has made the team over-dependent on him. He has fired in 14 goals already this season. But Xavi is frustrated with the results and the performances the team is putting in despite being second in La Liga.
This draw was followed up by a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Clasico. The performance drew criticism as the team did not know what to do. Real Madrid were simply much better and much more clinical than them. The hosts scored when it mattered the most and did not give Barca a chance to mount a comeback. The month of October has been really poor for the Catalans as they have lost out on all the big games. When it mattered, the team failed to step up and thus the consequences are there. Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, and Jordi Alba are not having the best of times and this indicates their time at Barcelona is very well over.
Real Madrid gets their Clasico revenge
Barcelona were far from their best against Real Madrid. This questions Xavi’s tactics and his chosen team as many felt Sergio Busquets should have been dropped. Frenkie De Jong, Pedri, and Gavi should be the chosen midfield for Barcelona which was not the case in the Clasico. This makes people think about the statement that Ancelotti made about modern football. Don Carlo was right to point out that you cannot have just one strategy that works for your team.
Barca, however, got an injury boost Jules Kounde featured in the Clasico 100% fit. The Frenchman was brilliant, considering it was his first game in about a month, returning from injury. But this does present loopholes in the team’s structure and the way they are set up. Sure, individual players do make a big difference and things could have been different. But a club this big should have had backup plans always for situations like this. Results like this are not acceptable.
Follow our Twitter for regular football news and updates.
For more football updates, make sure to follow us on: