It is fair to say Luis Enrique’s Barcelona side are not having the best of time of it lately, having squandered their lead in La Liga and exited the UEFA Champions League over the course of a dramatic three weeks of football.
Kicked off by defeat to 10-man Real Madrid in the most recent Clasico fixture, the Catalan side’s recent arrest has been dramatic and now their lead in domestic matters is based on head-to-head record alone over Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side.
What are the reasons behind Barca’s recent and dramatic loss of form?
FORTUNE
Luis Enrique and his players are guilty of somewhat over-egging the pudding by blaming their poor results almost entirely on luck, but they certainly have suffered from some ill-fortune in recent games including some inspired goalkeeping from Valencia’s Diego Alves and a non-awarded penalty in the Champions League at Atletico Madrid.
MSN’S WOES
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar combined for 13 goals during their team’s five games in March. In five April games, they have scored just three. And there, in a simple statistic, lies the chief reason for Barca’s downfall: their biggest stars, around who their whole playing system is constructed, are not performing.
FULL-BACKS STRUGGLING
After their front-three, perhaps the most important players in Barca’s system are the full-backs Dani Alves and Jordi Alba, because they are positionally closest to Messi and Neymar and therefore get plenty of the ball. But both are struggling at the moment, with Alves being left out on Sunday for Sergi Roberto, who also had a poor game.
MESSI MOVING INSIDE
Last year, Barca’s midseason renaissance was sparked when Messi adopted a new position on the right wing. His presence on the right and Neymar’s on the left stretches the opposition defence, creating space in the middle. But in the last few weeks Messi, probably out of frustration at not getting enough of the ball, has wandered increasingly inside. He needs to head back out to a starting position on the wing.
FATIGUE
Barca have played more games than nearly any other team this season and it’s no coincidence that their recent downturn came immediately after an international ‘break’ which saw their stars fly all over the globe. But although there has been a lack of sharpness, there certainly didn’t seem to be much fatigue on Sunday, when they kept on running until the end despite not making any changes.
NO PLAN B
It’s inevitable that even brilliant players like Messi, Suarez and Neymar will occasionally suffer a dip in form. But Enrique has little option but to pursue with his main gameplan even when it isn’t working: Rafinha is injured, he doesn’t appear to trust Munir El Haddadi and Arda Turan is playing poorly. The fringe players need to step up and offer more help.
STRONG OPPONENTS
As Enrique has reminded us, a football match contains two teams who are both trying to win and Barca have come up against some good ones. Two of their four losses came against Real and Atletico Madrid, and there’s no disgrace in that. Another was at Real Sociedad, where they always struggle, and the last came against a Valencia team rejuvenated since the departure of Gary Neville.
CONFIDENCE HIT
During their 39-game unbeaten run, Barca played with an attitude which bordered on arrogance as their body language gave the distinct impression that they didn’t think they were going to win, they knew they were going to win. Now that assurance has given way to doubt and there’s a lack of conviction about their play, especially in the attacking third.
ONE OF THOSE THINGS
Sometimes even great teams lose football matches, and it just so happens that Barcelona, after six months without defeat, have lost a bundle of them all together. It doesn’t mean they will never win again and they are too good a team to continue their present form – as long as they don’t panic and lose their team ethos.