Page 5 - Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis

#1 Barcelona’s defensive problems hit fever pitch

Valverde needs to find a defensive fix before Barcelona's next match

Before the encounter, Barcelona had won all their previous matches at the Camp Nou. And, they stuck to those guns against Sevilla with a 4-0 victory, keeping a first clean sheet at home in the process. However, that came at a major cost.

Jean-Clair Todibo hobbled off for the final quarter of an hour and his replacement, Ronald Araujo was sent off moments later.

A few minutes before the debutant was given his marching orders, Gerard Pique bagged himself an unnecessary yellow card for kicking the ball away. Though the Spaniard might have done so for ‘tactical’ reasons, that could yet come to bite Barcelona after the international break.

At the moment, the Blaugrana face the prospect of lining up with the most makeshift of defences against Eibar. Clement Lenglet, who was suspended for the Sevilla clash, would provide a bit of respite but the non-availability of Araujo, Pique and probably, Todibo would cause more than a furrowed brow or two among the Barcelona ranks.

Though Sergio Busquets can fill in for a solitary game, one can’t help but ask how the Blaugrana have found themselves in such a circumstance.

And probably, it might be time for Valverde to call up Didier Deschamps, asking the latter not to play Lenglet. For, if the unthinkable happens and the French defender gets injured on international duty, Barcelona might have to patch together a central defensive partnership without a conventional centre back.