Three takeaways from Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Real Madrid
Right back is a huge issue for Barcelona
Ronald Araújo operated as the right back last night, and while he did nothing wrong, you want him paired with Andreas Christensen in the heart of the defence.
Last year it was Jules Koundé operating as the right back, but he prefers to play as a central defender as well.
When you face the best teams in football, you’re likely going to come up against some of the best forwards in football, and when you’re playing someone like Vini Jr, you want a specialised right back.
A lot of Real Madrid’s attacking intent came down the left-hand side, Araújo wanted to stay narrow as you’d expect from a central defender and that left too much space for someone like Vini Jr to exploit. He didn’t score, but he should have had at least one, maybe two or three.
Late in the game, Xavi introduced Sergino Dest and he was put on skates from the start. The USMNT player wanted to convince the Barca manager that he was the answer to the RB problem, but he’s arguably been the worst player on tour through the first two games.
It’s not too late to recover, but chances are he’ll either leave Barca this summer on a permanent transfer or be loaned out with an obligation to buy.
Not every team has a Marcus Rashford or Vini Jr cutting in from the left, but if Barca want to be competing for the highest honours, they really need to fix the defensive issue.
Reports indicate that Barca’s number one priority is signing someone like Bernardo Silva, but their biggest weakness that teams will exploit is the RB position. Ivan Fresneda is young, but as a natural right-back with plenty of pace, he’d be a very welcome addition to the team.
