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El Clasico talking points
- Updated: December 3, 2016
After Sergio Ramos salvaged a point for Real Madrid late on in Saturday’s Clasico, we run through five talking points from the Nou Camp.
Real remain six points clear of Barca in the La Liga standings after a heated affair, extending their unbeaten run to 33 games.
From Zinedine Zidane’s tactics to another fine Luka Modric performance, Gerard Brand takes an in-depth look at Saturday’s less-than-classic Clasico.
Masterful Modric
Luka Modric’s first-half performance was a joy to behold, winning the midfield battle with Sergio Busquets and preventing Barcelona from making any form of beeline to Lionel Messi.
He won the ball four times in the first 45 minutes, completing 97 per cent of his passes, and though his second-half showing was less impressive, particularly with Andres Iniesta’s introduction, he still popped up with a superb assist in the final few minutes.
When the Croatian plays, Real tick. In any situation, anywhere on the pitch, he loves to get on the ball, touching it more than any other Real player and making more passes.
He may be 31, but the consensus is he has a few years left in the tank, hence Real’s four-year contract offer in October.
Barcelona’s midfield problem
While Modric makes Real’s midfield the force it is, Barcelona have a problem in theirs; Andres Iniesta is simply the player Barcelona cannot do without.
Without him, they do not defend from the front, Messi is forced to drift in and help out, meaning he cannot work his magic wide right, and the entire team suffers.
The man tasked with filling his rather large boots on Saturday was Andre Gomes, the £41m signing from Valencia in the summer.
He hasn’t lived up to expectations at the Nou Camp, and his Clasico performance …
