Hansi Flick criticised over El Clasico line-up decisions – “I don’t understand why…” | OneFootball

Barcelona were disappointing last weekend as they were defeated by Real Madrid in the first El Clasico meeting of the season. For the most part, the Catalans were second-best at the Santiago Bernabeu, and they now sit five points off the pace in the La Liga title race.

Due to injuries, Barcelona had few choices for their starting line-up, but one saw Hansi Flick opt for Eric Garcia over Ronald Araujo. According to ex-Real Madrid player Toni Kroos (via Diario AS), this was the wrong decision.

“In the centre of defence, I don’t understand why Eric Garcia plays over Ronald Araujo. He is a little better football-wise, but Araujo has the physical power to chase the opponent more, especially when you defend so high. He would have been the ideal player for that style of play and that opponent.

“When you have Mbappe and Vinicius in front of you, you need someone who can match that pace. Araujo can do that. I was very surprised by his absence.”

Image via David Ramos/Getty Images

Kroos: Barcelona are missing Inigo Martinez

Centre-back is an area where Barcelona have had a number of struggles this season, and according to Kroos, that stems from Inigo Martinez’s departure during the summer.

“I already commented at the time: Inigo Martinez was very important. Last year he was the Barcelona centre-back with the best ball output. He wasn’t the fastest, but he was an excellent defender and had a great building game. Against Real Madrid, his absence was noticeable when the team suffered high pressure. They did not replace him and that is taking its toll on them.”

Kroos did acknowledge that Barcelona were without a number of options for El Clasico, includingkey starters.

“It’s fair to say that Barcelona arrived very weakened: from the goalkeeper to the coach. They were also missing key players such as Raphinha, Dani Olmo or Lewandowski.”