Three takeaways from Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna | La Liga MD16 | OneFootball

Osasuna arrived at the Spotify Camp Nou with a clear plan in mind – to play a deep defensive line that frustrated Hansi Flick’s potent attack to no end.

The visitors, thus, played a back line of three centre-backs and two full-backs who seemingly settled just in front of the goal. Further, they deployed two defensive midfielders right in front of the five-man setup.

Barcelona were forced to work hard to find a way through the compact defence, who were more than happy to park the bus, and could not find any breakthrough in the opening period.

Raphinha, however, stepped up with a clutch goal from outside the box in the 70th minute to hand the team the lead, and completed his brace, capitalising on an Osasuna error to seal the win for Barcelona.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna.

A mixed experiment

Hansi Flick approached the game against Osasuna with a unique plan in mind – one that theoretically allowed him to play four of his biggest stars in tandem.

The idea was to drop Fermin Lopez from the number 10 role and deploy Raphinha in that central position to play behind the striker. Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, started on the two flanks.

While the experiment sounded good in theory, what unfolded in the field was a completely different story. In fact, Barcelona’s forward line barely looked fluid on the night.

Raphinha did not have the impact the manager expected when playing centrally and appeared to have his wings cut off. While it has always been clear that he has a future in the novel position, last night perhaps just wasn’t his night.

Raphinha’s return has been a blessing for Barcelona. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

The player did not get involved in the game nearly as much as usual, and the aspect of his counter-attacking threat was lost as he played centrally. Rashford and Ferran, meanwhile, both had disappointing nights apart from a few brilliant moments.

The team may well have got away with all three points, but Flick will likely see it as an experiment gone wrong. He must find an alternative dynamic, perhaps switching Lamine centrally and allowing Raphinha on the right wing, where he naturally shines.

Who is Barcelona’s best CB now?

Pau Cubarsi, for a long time, has held the crown as Barcelona’s leader in defence and rightfully so. After all, doing what he is doing at the age of 18 is impressive, and he has been rock-solid for the greater part of his time in the first team.

This season, however, has seen him slightly dip in quality, which is understandable given his age and the pressure of playing at the highest level. Now, however, it is also time one start asking oneself who the team’s best performing defenders are.

Gerard Martin initially appeared to be a stopgap solution in the department, but with each passing game, he continues to establish himself as a serious contender to be the first name on the team sheet.

Last night, Martin again outshone Cubarsi with eight defensive contributions, four interceptions, five recoveries, a clearance, and three duels won. He also completed 96% of his passes and racked up a staggering 97 passes.

For a long time now, Cubarsi has been seen as the default in Barcelona’s defence, but the manner in which Barcelona closed the game raises a serious question about whether the Eric Garcia-Gerard Martin combination can prove more effective.

It may seem queer seeing those names ahead of the likes of Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Cubarsi, but they have more than earned the right to be called Barcelona’s best defenders at the moment.

The pressure on Real Madrid

Real Madrid are in complete and utter disarray, and Barcelona have made the most of their opportunity to up the pressure on Xabi Alonso’s side.

All eyes will be on Xabi Alonso after Barcelona win. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Heading into an away clash against Deportivo Alaves later tonight, Real Madrid are now seven points behind Barcelona, and the circumstances are not in their favour.

The team continues to look dysfunctional, Xabi Alonso’s job is on the line, and the manager is without a single starting full-back for tonight’s clash.

What’s worse is that the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Federico Valverde, and Kylian Mbappe are all either in discomfort or have just recovered, while Dean Huijsen is also coming off a long layoff.

There is, thus, serious pressure on the team that has lost its last two games, and any slip-up will be celebrated with pomp in Catalonia. After all, a seven-point lead so close to the new year would be absolutely massive.