Match Review: Real Madrid CF 3-1 FC Barcelona Posted at: 18:50 on Sunday, October 26, 2014 Category: News Written by: Eric Despite the star-studded rosters out on the pitch, last night’s Clásico was fundamentally a battle between the managers. Carlo Ancelotti unquestionably made short work of Luis Enrique in the Asturian’s first time in charge of a Clásico, but it is worth looking back to Ancelotti’s own debut almost exactly a year ago for comparison. Carlo alluded to the event in his pre-match presser – he famously decided to start Sergio Ramos in midfield only to find Lionel Messi shifted out to the right wing. The surprise move went fundamentally against the current of Ancelotti’s first two months at Madrid, in which he had been painstakingly rebuilding Mourinho’s shattered team into a balanced, possession- comfortable side in his own image. Having finally established the blueprint of his system, it was a rash move to adjust it too radically for the Clásico and backfired significantly. Almost exactly one year later, Luis Enrique fell into a similar trap. But Ancelotti’s Madrid, now in their second season and well-established as the fearsome technical side their manager had envisioned, punished those mistakes ruthlessly. Read on after the jump for a look back at the game. The game before the game Luis Enrique made not one, but three gutsy changes from what has become his default lineup in his first two months in charge. Starting Luis Suarez was the most headline-grabbing decision, but arguably the decisions to start Jérémy Mathieu at left-back and Xavi Hernandez in midfield were the ones that were more problematic. Like Ramos in midfield, these were not merely questions of personnel selection and individual performances, but fundamental changes in system that did not mesh well with the way the team had performed week-in, week-out, up until that point. The two decisions were related, of course. Xavi was deemed necessary to help Barcelona control the match against Madrid’s midfield of Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, James Rodriguez and Isco Alcorcon, while Mathieu at left-back would in theory compensate for the Barça captain’s defensive weaknesses. Notably, Luis Enrique even switched the sides of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta in midfield so that Xavi and Mathieu would occupy the same flank, and Iniesta would be better able to help Dani Alves defend on the right. The latter half of that sentence should be enough to tell you that something was seriously wrong with Barcelona’s game- plan yesterday. Had Pep Guardiola been training Barcelona for the last two months, it is quite possible that last night’s line-up would have made perfect sense: a 3-4-3 featuring a defensive left-back and a mobile striker, two absolutely essential pieces Barcelona have been lacking in recent seasons. But this was a team caught between two worlds, a Guardiola XI playing in a Luis Enrique formation. Mathieu is very different from Éric Abidal, and in Luis Enrique’s narrow 4-3-1-2 fullbacks are just too essential for width to be used in such a conservative role. And while Xavi was named with the hopes that he would be able to exert some control over the match, Luis Enrique also wanted play going straight to the forwards to expose Madrid’s defensive frailties, meaning the Catalan maestro spent very little time on the ball. Opening salvos The opening goal was an unexpected gift for Barcelona, a perfect example of how Luis Enrique expected his team to operate. With just three minutes gone, Neymar, Messi and Suarez were running at Madrid’s back line with only Luka Modrić for protection. Neymar received the ball between the lines, eluded Dani Carvajal and Pepe to walk into the massive hole where a defensive midfielder would be. As he lined up his shot, Rodriguez, Kroos, and Isco could all be seen watching as they trotted back slowly. It was a ludicrously easy goal, a perfect example of what Luis Enrique and many cules were expecting from Real Madrid’s midfield. After all, everyone in Barcelona knows that you can’t name four physically and defensively weak playmakers to a team and expect to win – wait, what? In fact, Real Madrid resembled Guardiola-era Barcelona in more than just their midfield. Guardiola’s teams frequently took half an hour to warm up and get into a game, and often conceded early goals as a result. Perhaps this match most strongly resembled another 3-1 Clásico: the victors came out asleep and allowed a horrendously easy goal in the opening minutes, but displayed intense mental toughness to work their way back into the game, capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes, and score three unanswered goals. That mental discipline, symbolized in 2011 by the iconic image of Carles Puyol roaring at his teammates to lift their heads up, belonged to only one team last night – and they weren’t wearing blaugrana. If word from Luis Enrique’s training sessions so far has been that the Barcelona players are more motivated and working harder than in previous seasons, it certainly was not apparent on the pitch. There were two key periods in the game which deserve a bit of close analysis. The first came in the 22nd minute, and it was Luis Enrique’s game-plan working to perfection. The ball started with Mathieu high up on the left flank. He sidestepped a challenge from Kroos while Neymar drew Carvajal away to the left, allowing Mathieu time on the ball. His pass split Kroos and Modrić to find Messi in the hole, in Luis Enrique’s dream scenario: Suarez occupying the centre-backs, Neymar pulling a full-back wide, Messi receiving the ball, with space, goal-side of Madrid’s double pivot. And to complete the picture, there was Xavi bursting forward into the gaping hole left by Marcelo, just waiting for Messi to slot the ball into his path and produce another classic Barcelona goal. But Messi didn’t make the pass, and instead stalled for half a second, allowing Isco to rush back and close him down, ultimately forcing the Argentine to take a poor shot at Casillas. Messi receives the ball from Mathieu, ignoring Xavi’s run to his right Fifteen seconds later, Lucho’s system produced again. Busquets won the ball back in midfield and got the ball to Alves, once again showing the full-backs’ importance in initiating play. Alves released Suarez, who had roamed from striker out to the right wing, and Messi streaked forward to exploit the vacated space between the centre-backs. Suarez’s cross was inch-perfect, Messi’s shot from the six-yard box unfortunately not. This was both the best and the worst moment of the game for Barcelona. Luis Enrique’s system worked perfectly: full-backs initiated play out wide, Neymar and Suarez played alternately off the centre- backs and out wide, and Messi had two gilt-edged chances to assist and score in the span of fifteen seconds. Had he taken either, the game could have gone very differently. But in the 33rd minute, Real Madrid punished Barcelona for their laxity at both ends of the pitch. While it is true that any goal can be analyzed in retrospect for defensive errors, each of Madrid’s three on the night were textbook failures on Barcelona’s part. When Isco received the ball out wide, Iniesta and Alves failed to communicate on who should close down and who should track Marcelo’s overlapping run. While the two are unused to defending on the same side, it was inexcusable, the most basic of defensive communications. Piqué’s hand-ball from the resulting cross was baffling, sliding in the opposite direction of the ball, but Marcelo should never have made it that far into the box. It should also be noted that had Marcelo played a different ball, Dani Carvajal was unbelievably open at the top of the penalty box, with both Xavi and Neymar unconcerned, idly walking back. Barcelona on the back foot Nonetheless, Madrid were always going to score, and cynics would tell you they were always going to get a penalty. The two teams were all square at the break – Real Madrid had the momentum going into half-time, but the winner of the game would be decided by who came out better for the second half. If his team selection was questionable, here was where Luis Enrique truly failed on the evening. He made no changes at half- time, did not tell Mathieu to play a more withdrawn role, and was unable to motivate his team out of the gate. If the 22nd minute was the first key period of the game, the opening 15 minutes of the first half were the second, Barcelona’s chance to show mental toughness first after the equalizer, then after losing the lead. Instead, those 15 minutes were a microcosm of everything that went wrong for the blaugrana . Minute 49: Barcelona’s first extended possession of the second half. Iniesta, then Xavi, then Messi all touch the ball, resulting in the position below. What is happening there? What is Barcelona’s plan? Where are the triangles? Xavi and Suarez are occupying the same space, and have both effectively removed themselves from the play. Messi’s only forward pass would have been to split Kroos and Modrić with a through ball for Mathieu – once he passes up on that option, the only place to go is backwards. He is forced back and back until he dishes the ball to Mascherano, who is then faced with this scene. Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, and Messi all stand in a compact square, all fairly well marked. Xavi is the only one with any space, and it is possible that Barcelona could play a couple one-touch passes through Madrid’s midfield, but that’s not Luis Enrique’s game plan. So instead Mascherano plays an excellent splitting pass between the lines, but when Neymar receives it he has no options whatsoever. Xavi has been closed down while Busquets, Iniesta, and Messi are all stranded on the other side of Madrid’s midfield, and on the other side of the Guardiola-Luis Enrique divide. This moment was most shocking to me for how aimless Barcelona seemed, so visibly confused between two styles of play. Finally, notice Mathieu’s position in this play. He is stranded high up the pitch, but didn’t offer a meaningful pass to either Messi or Neymar. Enrique started him for his defensive capabilities, yet he is nowhere to be found when Madrid inevitably counter. Neymar is forced into making a poor pass backwards, Madrid steal the ball, break down the left, and force Piqué into an excellent block. Pepe scores from the resulting corner. Now, analysis of a team’s marking when they concede on corners is its own special kind of hell, but suffice it to say Barcelona’s was poor. Busquets leaves his marker, Pepe, to track Ronaldo’s near- post run, while Alves, somehow paired up against Sergio Ramos, bumps into Pepe and falls down. Mascherano is the only man left at the back post, and he is thoroughly manhandled by Karim Benzema. All of Barcelona’s new-found height – Piqué, Mathieu, Busquets, Suarez, and Rakitić – has rushed to the near post, leaving Barcelona fans with a too-familiar sight. In the nine minutes between the 2-1 and the 3-1 goals, Xavi and Iniesta received the ball five times each – every other attack went through the full-backs or forwards. For those crucial nine minutes, Barcelona and Madrid split possession evenly, and both teams had chances, but Barcelona were too eager to get rid of the ball and lacked composure. Time and again, Bravo or the centre-backs would be distributing the ball, see Xavi and Iniesta, and opt instead for a pass wide to the full-backs instead, who would in turn look for the direct pass to the forwards. Both Xavi and Iniesta would be replaced shortly afterwards, sparking rampant discussion on social media about Barcelona’s midfield depth. But truth be told, it did not matter in the slightest who they were replaced with – the midfield wasn’t touching the ball regardless. The 3-1 goal was one of the worst I have ever seen Barcelona concede. Iniesta and Isco battled in a footrace for the ball, not a helpful comparison for those fans wistfully imagining a world in which Isco had been tempted to join Barcelona instead of Madrid. As far as hypothetical scenarios are concerned, there are so many ways that play could have ended differently: Iniesta could have tapped it out of play, pass it back to Mascherano, or allow Mascherano to come and clear the ball. But from the moment he tapped the ball around his own teammate for Isco to run onto, the game was over. The remaining thirty minutes bear no discussion. Final Thoughts Carlo Ancelotti used his first Clásico last season as an important bench-mark and learned from his mistakes. It is critical that Luis Enrique do the same. I do not believe this loss was a catastrophe, that either the squad or Luis Enrique’s system are fundamentally deficient. But there are a number of key issues that can and must be addressed, even if their solutions are not immediately apparent. – After all the excitement this summer about finally buying centre-backs, Piqué and Mascherano once again started an important game as a centre-back duo. Just as in the Liga Clásicos last season, Benzema absolutely tormented Mascherano, evidenced best when he hit the crossbar twice in the tenth minute. If the club is to defend the purchases of Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen, the former needs to be trusted and the latter needs to actually play a game. – Luis Enrique must show conviction and make tough decisions where his midfield is concerned. The Barcelona manager’s Clásico lineup indicated a clear lack of faith in the system he has been building since day one. While the system clearly needs some changes, reverting to Guardiola-era personnel for a vastly different formation was suicide. Luis Enrique must be more proactive and forward-thinking – on form, neither Busquets nor Iniesta deserves a starting spot. Competition has been a buzzword for the defense, but it needs to be instilled in midfield as well. – The role of the full-backs must be addressed. As I have previously written , Luis Enrique’s current system’s reliance on full-backs to create does not play to the squad’s strengths. It makes the likes of Jordi Alba, Mathieu, and Dani Alves Barcelona’s main creative forces, rather than the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, or Rakitić. With Martin Montoya and Douglas both apparently not Barça quality, and Adriano injured each time he rolls out of bed too quickly in the morning, Luis Enrique must experiment with his options in terms of both the personnel and positioning of his full-backs. Vermaelen, Marc Bartra, Pedro, and Grimaldo are all potential candidates that should be assessed. Barcelona have conceded 6 goals in two games against top teams – this is not an accident. – The youth must continue to be integrated into the team. Barcelona’s Clásico lineup was the oldest in years. Munir and Sandro must continue to compete with Pedro for the role of first attacker off the bench, but most importantly, Rafinha and Sergi Samper must be tried in midfield. The pair are essential to Barcelona’s future, and each must make a key transition. Rafinha’s versatility must be overcome to develop a clearly defined role as a midfielder, not a forward, while Samper must make the move farther up the pitch – his future with Barcelona is not as a pivot. And what of Adama Traore? At the time of writing, it is October 26 and Barcelona are still top of the table. Given the new manager, the massive changes in the squad and Luis Suarez’s ban, many fans had written off the beginning of the season as a wash this summer. While Barcelona have had a relatively easy start to the league, the players are in (mostly) good shape and the transition is in full swing. Luis Enrique and his team have (hopefully) learned some valuable lessons, both tactical and psychological, from this Clásico, and must now leave it behind and look forward. For Luis Suarez and Luis Enrique both, the season starts now.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 02:19:40 +0000
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