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#2 Barcelona look bereft of ideas
"The season is very long and there is room for improvement. But in nine years at Barcelona this is the first time that I have felt we are inferior to Madrid. It is true that they won the Champions League last year, but we came here and won not long before that."
-Gerard Pique's words after the game should set alarm bells ringing.
Even in the worst of El Clasico moments in recent history, you could never accuse them of being a non-entity going forward. However, the lack of creativity from Rakitic and Andre Gomes meant that the entire burden fell on Messi and Suarez. The duo were crowded out and with little support, barely had an effect on the game.
The loss of Neymar will grow ever more painful if Barcelona do not wrap up the signings of Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho soon enough.
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