Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Osasuna

Two non-dominating performances on the trot have brought concern to the faces of many fans worldwide. However, there is a lot more to the situation than meets the eye.

To a neutral observer, Barcelona’s recent relative slump in form is an indication of things going wrong. Yet, the reality is that the team have still looked promising on the field. A combination of selection and finishing issues has indeed plagued Xavi’s side, but the situation is reversible.

Heading into the game against Osasuna, there is no longer any cushion for the Blaugranes. Unlike the Europa League clash midweek where any result was acceptable, Barcelona are under pressure to win on Sunday.

With the top four race heating up, a single slip up could have drastic outcomes for the team’s season. Here are three talking points ahead of Barcelona’s clash against Osasuna.

1. The vital veterans

It is easy to ask for the veterans of the team to be benched. In theory, their slow legs and limited versatility should be a liability to the team. When Xavi opted to bench Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique on the night against Galatasaray, one expected a young Barcelona to blow away the Turkish side. Yet, what happened what quite the opposite.

Without the stewardship of their seniors, the players looked lost on the field. The control in midfield was missing without Barcelona’s captain despite Nico Gonzalez and Frenkie de Jong putting hard shifts.

In defence, the combination of Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo, too seemed a tad bit shaky. Most importantly, the team seemed lost for ideas as a whole.

There is a reason why veterans are given the respect they receive. Barcelona function best when deployed as a combination between the two generations. That said, Xavi should look to strike the right balance against Osasuna. Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Dani Alves could all return to the starting lineup on the night.

2. The right attacking formula

In the past two games, Barcelona’s finishing woes have come back to haunt them. Struggling in front of goal is no new occurrence to the team, for it was a problem that plagued them under the past two managers.

Barcelona have taken a total of 36 shots in said games. Of them, they have only scored open play goals while creating an xG of 6+.

For a comparison, Barcelona scored 12 goals in 30 attempts in the last three games before the clash against Elche. From a conversion rate of over 33%, the Catalans have seen a slump to about 3%.

Against Osasuna, choosing the right attacking trio will count for a big chunk of the result. One would expect Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to return to the starting lineup after he started on the bench midweek. The Gabonese striker will have to return to his imperious best if Xavi’s side are to win on the night.

On the wings, Ferran Torres and Memphis Depay would be the ideal choices. Torres had a poor outing against Galatasaray but has proven that he can be a reliable game-changer. With Memphis as the ball-player in the three, the other two can create havoc off it.

3. Season defining weeks

In November, Barcelona’s season seemed unsalvageable. The club languished close to the bottom half of the La Liga table and were performing poorly in the Champions League. Under Xavi, the results have turned positive, and there is a ray of hope again.

A successful season is a term that is relative to the circumstances. For Barcelona’s situation, winning the Europa League and finishing in the top three of the league would be an impressive result given their situation under Ronald Koeman. However, a big part of that will be decided this month.

After Osasuna, the Blaugranes have Real Madrid and Sevilla as their next two league opponents. Sandwiched in between those games in an all-important game against Galatasaray in Istanbul.

The situation is further aggravated by Atletico Madrid’s recent boost in form. Simeone’s side have won their last three games and sit three points ahead of Barcelona, albeit having played two games more. If Barcelona are to regain their spot above Los Rojiblancos, they must win their next three games.

Osasuna is certainly the easiest of the three coming fixtures and Xavi will look to capitalise on the same. Moreover, he will aim to bring momentum back into the side.