I watched Barcelona drop two La Liga points yesterday evening. The champions lost a two goal lead to draw 2-2 at Real Sociedad.
Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola fielded a weakened team against Sociedad and his selection looked justified as Barca were two goals up with just 11 minutes on the clock.
Easy
The first half was all too easy for the European Champions. In the second half they became slightly too complacent as Real Sociedad came out like a different team.
The home side exposed some weaknesses in the Barcelona defence with two second half goals.
Makeshift centre back Sergio Busquets and youngster Andreu Fontas struggled against the Sociedad attack. The pair just wasn’t good enough to contain the lively Sociedad attack.
Unlikely
Barcelona is unlikely to field the same centre-back partnership against AC Milan on Wednesday in the Champions League. Captain Carles Puyol was on the substitute bench for the clash with Sociedad and has to return for the clash with the Rossoneri.
Puyol’s usual central defensive partner Gerard Pique could be return to the starting line-up after missing the last two fixtures through injury.
Dependable
The pairing has proved so dependable at the back for Barcelona but when they are missing the team seem to be vulnerable at the back. Former-Liverpool player Javier Mascherano filled in at the back last season and did a really good job.
The way Barcelona play with two attacking full-backs means that the two centre-backs have to be very dependable and solid. If they are not then goalkeeper Victor Valdes is left exposed. Sergio Busquets is usually the one midfielder who sits back and defends.
If he is playing in defence like in the Real Sociedad clash or the Villarreal game then there isn’t as much protection for the two centre-backs.
Unconvincing
The Barcelona centre-backs don’t always have a lot to do defensive wise but when they do Guardiola needs them to be able to deal with the opposition attacks. Fontas and Busquets were really unconvincing and Real Sociedad could have won the game.
Complacent
Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola may have been slightly complacent when he named a weakened team. Maybe he thought that the team would be good enough to beat the home side. Maybe Guardiola should have named a stronger team in light of last season’s defeat in San Sebastien.
Wrong
Even a great manager like Pep Guardiola can get decisions wrong and I thought the selection of Andreu Fontas was the wrong decision. Although it was David Villa’s mistake that cost Barca the victory in the end, I really wasn’t convinced by the youngster.
At 21 years of age though I hope he learns from this experience. However if he is to learn how to become a top class defender he has to play alongside experienced players such as Carles Puyol. He would gain more from that than playing alongside Busquets, who’s a defensive midfielder and still learning that position himself.
Fluency
Guardiola had made five changes from the team that defeated Villarreal and Barca’s usual fluency wasn’t evident in the second half performance at Anoeta. If that fluency had been there then the defensive problems wouldn’t have been exposed.
Stronger
I fully expect Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol to be back at the heart of the Barcelona defence against the Italian champions on Wednesday night. If one of those players doesn’t make it I think Mascherano is the best option to come in at centre back.
That will allow Busquets to return to his position back in front of the defence. You can be sure that Barcelona won’t be so poor at the back against the Italian giants. The performance against Real Sociedad will give Barca’s opponents real hope that Barcelona are vulnerable.
However, those opponents know that they are still up against one of the greatest teams of all time and it will be tough to defeat the European Champions.
Are Barcelona weak in the heart of their defence?
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