2) Drop Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu to the bench
When Enrique picks his starting lineup for the Clasico, it would be wise to drop Javier Mascherano to the bench. The 32-year-old Argentine has had a poor season and has been responsible for a few lapses in concentration that have led to Barcelona conceding goals this season.
No other outfield player at the club has made more defensive errors than Mascherano this season and it has to do with his shuttling between the roles of a centre-back and a defensive midfielder. When playing as a centre-back, he has picked the wrong moments to abandon his position and step up into the midfield zone to thwart opponents’ attacking moves.
Two of his defensive errors in La Liga led to goals while a third also led to an attempt on goal. The most notable error came against Valencia that allowed Jose Gaya to exploit the space and set up Munir El Haddadi for the finish.
Jeremy Mathieu is another player Enrique may not risk against Real Madrid. The 33-year-old did not make the squad for the second leg against Juventus following a disappointing first leg.
He had afforded Juan Cuadrado too much space to allow him to assist Paulo Dybala while he also offered nothing in attack. Mathieu was also dropped to the bench and did not play a part in Barcelona’s 3-2 victory over Real Sociedad.
