What went wrong for Barcelona against Real Madrid? And where does Lionel Messi fit at Camp Nou?
Published 06/04/2023 at 14:53 GMT
After a comprehensive 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey that knocked them out of the tournament 4-1 on aggregate, there are some question marks over Barcelona. The team is set to win La Liga under manager Xavi Hernandez but there are still some doubts about whether they can still stack up to the best teams in the world. Jose Arronis joins us to explore their issues.
'We still have La Liga!' - Xavi focusing on league after Copa del Rey thrashing
FC Barcelona are in a very curious place at the moment.
On the one hand they are top of La Liga by twelve points, and are set to win the title for the first time since the 2018-19 season. They are also on course to smash most of the defensive records across Europe. Through 27 league games they have conceded a preposterous nine goals.
However in the Champions League they finished behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in their group to go into the Europa League and they often looked outclassed at times.
That feeling of being a step below the competition continued in the Europa League as they were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by Manchester United. Barca held their own at times but they couldn’t cope with some of United’s football.
Then in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday evening they were hammered 4-0 by Real Madrid at the Camp Nou. This came after they won the first leg in Madrid 1-0.
So we’re now in the curious spot for Barcelona where we’re in the middle of April and, barring a total collapse in the league, there isn’t really anything left for them to play for.
But one thing we are going to talk about is Lionel Messi. In case you’ve missed it the World Cup winner has been heavily linked to Barcelona in the past few days in what would be a very emotional return. Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 with the club in financial crisis, now it seems like he will come back to Barca.
There’s a lot to unpack with everything going on at the club, so we got in touch Jose Arronis from Eurosport Spain to get his opinion on the situation.
We start with the Clasico, and asking what specifically he thinks Barca got wrong, and Real Madrid got right.
“Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, decided to play an open game without a defensive midfielder and fast players up front in attack,” explains Arronis.
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Barcelona v Real Madrid
Image credit: Getty Images
“Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez, on the other hand, decided to play defensively at the Santiago Bernabeu but wanted to be more offensive at the Camp Nou and it didn't work out well.
“The game was obviously impacted by injuries and who was missing as a result, but in recent years we have seen how Barcelona can be overwhelmed by pressure in key moments.
“They have been eliminated in similar fashion from both the Champions League and the Europa League this season.”
So what’s the problem specifically with Barcelona here? There are good players and Xavi looks like a good manager. What causes this issue in the big moments?
Arronis says, “Barcelona has one of the most talented squads in Europe and a coach who knows the club's philosophy,
But the problem has become more psychological than about a specific game or the level of players.
“Rebuilding takes time, but Barcelona will again be fighting for big goals in Europe, so they have to adjust quickly.”
Then we come to the question of Messi. There is no doubt that the Argentine would help improve the mentality of the squad with his vast experience in the biggest arenas in football. But he will be 36 when next season starts. Can he still impact the game in the same way? And how likely even is a return given the Catalan club’s financial situation?
“Certainly at this time it is very difficult to know what Leo Messi's future will be and whether he will return to Barcelona,” says Arronis.
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Lionel Messi when he left Barcelona
Image credit: Eurosport
“Barcelona's economic situation is certainly unideal.
“Barcelona fans are delighted with a possible return of Messi because he is the most important player in their history. They also believe he is the key piece to them returning to being top.
“It is difficult to know what system Xavi would use in order to incorporate the Argentine, but Messi is not the same player as he was when he was younger - it is most likely that he would end up in an attacking midfield position that does not require much physical effort and allows him to exploit his skills. That could be as a traditional No 10 or even as the most advanced player in a midfield three, a No. 8.”
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