Why Clasico defeat to Real Madrid was just what Barcelona needed

Barcelona were 39 games unbeaten before losing in the Clasico and the setback against Real Madrid won’t affect them heading into Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atletico Madrid. If anything, it will work to their advantage as they seek to become the first club to win back-to-back trebles.

Camp Nou witnessed Barcelona’s worst performance of the season at the weekend; all of the much-vaunted front three of Lionel Mesis, Neymar and Luis Suarez were very, very poor. Nothing clicked for Barca and sometimes that just happens: you can lose matches just by having an off day and this is the first off-day they have had in about six months.

It is not symptomatic of a deeper problem and won't derail their season; if anything, losing to Real Madrid could even have a positive effect. The Barca players won’t have the pressure of a giant unbeaten run on their shoulders when facing Atleti and it could free them up a bit. There’s nothing better after losing a game like Saturday’s than going into another huge match where you can make amends.

It’s much better to be playing Atleti than Benfica, who are taking on Bayern Munich in Tuesday night’s other quarter-final. Rather than facing a team they would be expected to beat comfortably, their minds will be focused against serious opponents, who could knock them out. It’s a chance to restate their credentials for the treble.

Defeat in the Clasico has eradicated any growing sense of complacency in the Barcelona ranks; it ensures competitive levels remain high. We’ve seen what can happen when Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga in April – they collapse in Europe, as they did two years ago. But Barca will continue firing on all cylinders after this setback.

Losing on Saturday will make them a little bit more relaxed when they take the field in the Champions League. It will inspire them too.

That’s not to say there wasn't some cause for concern at the weekend. Suarez had one of his worst games for Barcelona against Real Madrid; he didn’t start well and it didn’t get much better from there. It’s hugely unlikely that the performance will be repeated on Tuesday night though – and for all three of the MSN to be off form, as they were at the weekend, just doesn’t happen. At least one of the three will perform against Atleti, and that could be enough.

Some have cited fatigue as a potential reason for Barca’s non-performance against Real Madrid but I don’t think that really holds much water. They’ve had a demanding schedule this season, with the Club World Cup on top of all the other competitions, but ultimately, footballers have a very comfortable lifestyle and work regime and I don’t think tiredness will really affect them. They just dropped their level against Madrid.

I’ve seen a lot of talk about what Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid did on Saturday, but it’s rubbish: it’s about what Barcelona didn’t do, not what Real Madrid did do. They didn’t turn up to the races. Barca will be in peak condition on Tuesday night though: they will turn up to Camp Nou bristling with confidence, all wearing their snazzy gear, and we will see their real level again.

Barca are still almost certain to go through to the semi-finals. The onus is on Atleti to try and take something into the second leg at home and if they can do that, then they will have a chance. If they are behind going into the home match then it will be very difficult indeed.

Atleti are a great counter-attacking side, particularly with Antoine Griezmann. They also defend very well all over the park and that combination of robust defence and quick, clinical attack poses a problem for Barcelona.

They are probably the worst team Barcelona could face in Europe – even tougher than Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. They might have lost their past six games against the Catalans but their style of play and their familiarity with Barca means nothing will come easy in either leg for Luis Enrique’s side.

We all know about the strength of the Barcelona attack but Atleti have the players and the system to shut them down better than almost any team on the planet. Guys like Diego Godin know what’s required when coming up against Messi, Neymar and Suarez.

They aren’t the prettiest team to watch; they don’t play in the way we traditionally expect of Spanish clubs; but they are extremely effective at what they do. Diego Simeone makes individuals into better players and he makes a team more than the sum of their component parts. That is not a skill to be underestimated.