El Clasico ICC 2017: Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona - 5 Talking Points

#2 Real Madrid have strength in depth, Barcelona not so much

Will squad depth prove to be the difference between the two teams once again?

Barcelona may have come out victors on the night but they were up against a Real Madrid side without their talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, and that was not all.

As we witnessed last season, the Catalan outfit may have one of the best teams on the planet but they do not have the one thing that the Santiago Bernabeu outfit have - strength in depth. It was this bench strength, that allowed manager Zinedine Zidane to rest key members of his squad in crucial time, while also allowing him to juggle with the available resources in a bid to make the most out of their opportunities.

The results were not bad. Real Madrid became the first team in the Champions League era to win the prestigious title in successive years. Not only that, they also lifted the La Liga for the first time since 2011/12. And going by the recruitment done so far, it appears that the club plan to stick to their new found philosophy.

Barcelona, on the other hand, boast of an awe-inspiring starting XI but beyond that they just don't have the required quality in their squad to stand up in crunch times or during the hour of need. If the Catalan giants don't address this issue in the transfer window, they will once again be left to rue their fate come the end of the season.