After arriving at El Clasico on a successful streak, Barcelona appeared to defeat Actual Madrid. Nevertheless, the Culers confronted defeat resulting from Los Blancos’ highly effective assault led by Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. Regardless of Lamine Yamal changing into a goal of criticism for his restricted offensive contribution, legend Toni Kroos selected to spotlight one other key issue by strongly criticizing Hansi Flick for a lineup determination.
“Within the centre of defence, I don’t perceive why (Eric) Garcia is taking part in. Soccer-wise, he’s barely higher than (Ronald) Araujo, however Araujo has the bodily energy to chase down opponents extra, particularly while you’re defending so excessive up the pitch… When you might have Mbappe and Vinícius up in opposition to you, you want somebody who can match that tempo. Araujo can do this. I used to be very shocked by his absence,” Toni Kroos mentioned, by way of Einfach mal Luppen.
Hansi Flick’s arrival has injected new life into Barcelona, revitalizing their attacking play, which stands as their strongest attribute. Nevertheless, an apparent weak point in protection persists. Regardless of Eric Garcia’s sturdy performances, he hasn’t reached the extent of dominance seen subsequent to Pau Cubarsi, some extent that Kroos has notably highlighted. Furthermore, Ronald Araujo has been dealing with a secondary function, leaving the defensive position with no bodily dominant profile.
Not solely have Araujo’s secondary function and Christensen’s fixed accidents weakened the protection, however Barcelona additionally suffered the departure of Iñigo Martinez. In gentle of this, Kroos has analyzed his departure: “Final yr, he was Barca’s centre-back with the perfect ball distribution…He was a superb defender and had nice build-up play. Towards Actual Madrid, his absence was noticeable when the group suffered below their excessive press. They didn’t change him, and that’s taking its toll.”
FC Barcelona gamers strolling onto the pitch previous to the LaLiga EA Sports activities match in opposition to Actual Madrid.
With this in thoughts, Barcelona have determined to retain Pau Cubarsi because the undisputed starter, however the group nonetheless hasn’t found his superb companion. Araujo is likely to be Kroos’ most well-liked candidate, however his inefficiency with the ball has led to a number of particular person errors leading to objectives. Furthermore, somewhat than strengthening the protection after Iñigo’s departure, they selected to maintain the protection intact, which has not been solely optimistic.
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Why did Hansi Flick’s Barcelona lose to Actual Madrid? Toni Kroos offers his clear perspective
Following Barcelona’s defeat to Actual Madrid, many followers have questioned the group’s competitiveness. Now trailing the La Liga leaders by 5 factors, Barcelona want Los Blancos to lose two video games whereas sustaining a successful streak themselves to stay in rivalry for the title. Regardless of varied analyses exploring the explanations for the defeat, legend Toni Kroos pinpointed a transparent issue contributing to the Culers’ loss.
“To be honest, Barcelona arrived at El Clásico exhausted: from the goalkeeper to the coach, who wasn’t even on the bench… They had been lacking Raphinha, (Daniel) Olmo, and (Robert Lwandowski) Lewy, and that makes an enormous distinction in a recreation of this caliber. I’m positive they’ll enhance afterward,” Toni Kroos mentioned, by way of Einfach mal Luppen.
Regardless of arriving with clear aspirations for victory, Barcelona confronted a number of challenges because of the absence of seven key gamers: Robert Lewandowski, Joan Garcia, Dani Olmo, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Gavi, and Marc Andre Ter Stegen. Lacking a lot of their stars put them at an obstacle, particularly on offense, the place their play remained uninspired and flat.
