Three talking points ahead of Mallorca vs Barcelona | La Liga GW 16 | OneFootball

Barcelona have not been playing like league leaders over the past month in La Liga and have deservedly lost all the lead they had over Real Madrid in the standings.

Should Los Blancos win their game in hand, they will be the new leaders in the domestic competition and the pressure is thus seriously mounting on the Catalans after their three consecutive poor showings.

With the weight of their poor games on their shoulders, Hansi Flick’s men will take on Mallorca at Estadi Son Moix on Tuesday and it is safe to say that it will be a tricky challenge.

Jagoba Arrasate’s men have been in phenomenal form this season and are sixth on the league standings with seven wins and three draws in 15 games.

Son Moix, meanwhile, has not been an easy fortress to conquer for the Blaugrana in recent years. Last season, they were held to a 2-2 draw at the stadium while their two wins before that were by narrow 1-0 scorelines.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Mallorca vs Barcelona.

New month, new start

If October was paradise for Barcelona in terms of destroying opposition and securing healthy leads in competitions, November was the polar opposite.

After a month where the Catalans beat Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in a matter of days, they entered a month with easier fixtures and threw it all away.

A draw against Celta Vigo and defeats to Las Palmas and Rea Sociedad capped off a terrible November and a lot of questions have rightly been asked about the shift in momentum.

Now into December, it is vital that Barcelona recover and regroup. It is a new month and a fresh start, and Hansi Flick and Co. must look to turn their situation around.

The schedule for December is gruelling and without any breaks for international football. The calendar begins tomorrow away at Mallorca but also sees the team take on Real Betis at home, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Leganes in a span of 20 days.

Presented with poor form and a complicated fixture list, there is not much time for Barcelona to find their rhythm again and tomorrow night should be their first statement win. Starting off on the right foot is key.

Big starters return

Casado, Yamal ready to start. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Barcelona started the game against Las Palmas with several key figures out of the lineup whose absences were felt on the night.

Marc Casado missed the game through suspension while Lamine Yamal was not fit to start and only came on for the second half.

Alejandro Balde, meanwhile, started the game but was taken off on a stretcher early on after a collision that left him winded. Another notable absentee was Dani Olmo who was on the bench but never warmed up owing to a niggle.

Tomorrow, the manager will have all four players back and likely as starters in what is a massive advantage for the team.

For the first time after the last international break, Barcelona will have its strongest XI from the opening minute.

Casado will likely join Pedri in the double pivot while Olmo will start as the attacking midfielder. He will look to link with Yamal who is expected to start on the right and Balde who will push up on the left flank.

With all the best players back on the field, Flicks’s men have no excuses to not perform on Tuesday.

Emergency at the back

“Obviously, the rivals are doing a very good job. They prepare for the games they play against us,” Flick said in his pre-match press conference earlier today when asked about the reduced offside challenges by the opposition.

After all, Barcelona’s opponents appear to have found the antidote to the team’s poisonous high-line which looked unbeatable a month ago. All of a sudden, beating the trap and finding runners behind has become normal.

Jules Kounde has appeared fatigued in recent games while Gerard Martin simply lacks the mettle to keep up with such a demanding tactic. As a result, the team has been conceding far more than usual and that is their biggest emergency.

Tomorrow, the first step for the team will thus be to consolidate the defence with an all-round show.

Playing a risky gambit, the Catalans must press as a unit and defend collectively to close down spaces and win the half-chances. Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez will continue doing what they have, but the spotlight will shine bright on the full-backs.

Inaki Pena is another player who is slowly running out of favour and must do better if he is to hold on to his starting spot. A few more loose performances may well see him lose his spot to Wojciech Szczesny.