Barcelona's 6 Clean Sheets Mean They Don't Need to Worry About Creativity Yet

For several seasons, Barcelona have been haunted by defensive problems. "Buy a centre-back," people screamed at them as Carles Puyol edged toward retirement.

So at last, this summer, they did. Two of them, actually. And while neither of those two were involved against Malaga on Wednesday night—Jeremy Mathieu was rested; Thomas Vermaelen is still recovering from an injury—the competition they have added must have helped.

And that is because, for the sixth successive match in Luis Enrique's reign as Barca boss, they managed to shut the opposition out.

In fact, people are not screaming about defenders anymore; they're screaming at the forwards: “Shoot!”

Who Scored.com's post-match statistics revealed the Catalans did not manage a single shot on target in the 0-0 draw with Javi Gracia's side at the Rosaleda.

That's quite impressive when you consider their forward line of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Pedro was backed up by Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta.

Even the teenage duo of Munir El Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez, who have three goals between them this season already, couldn't help Luis Enrique out when he chucked them into the action in the second half.

Sergio Camacho/Getty Images

Sergio Camacho/Getty Images

To say it's a major concern would be an exaggeration, but despite sticking five past Levante last weekend, it could be argued Barça have lacked some punch all season.

Against Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League, they only scored once, while cameos from Neymar and Sandro helped them out of sticky situations against Athletic Club and Villarreal, respectively.

Meanwhile, Luis Suarez had demonstrated earlier on Wednesday exactly what they are missing, as reported by Sam Marsden of Sport.

The Uruguayan was included in a Barcelona B side that beat Indonesia U19s 6-0. He scored twice in the win, with his comeback against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu now just a month away.

But while some may find reason to moan about Barca's lack of spark in the final third, it is said that a successful side is built on a reliable defence.

That's not a motto that necessarily ties in with the club's history of fancy football, neat passing and lots of entertainment, but it does carry some weight. Diego Simeone's Atletico side are a testament to that, as are many of Jose Mourinho’s teams from down the years.

Daniel Tejedor/Associated Press

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

If Barça can maintain a tight defence, creativity will come—just look at their squad.

"We are in the fifth round [of league matches]," Luis Enrique explained after the point, as tweeted by Barcastuff. "It's logical there are things that don't work yet. It will even be like that in the 38th round."

Enrique added: "We failed in the last pass, maybe we lacked some patience. We will look for solutions, we said before we are still improving things."

What Luis Enrique preaches is true. He took over the club in the summer and oversaw the biggest overhaul of the squad in recent years. It will take time for everything to settle, let alone for his ideas to start seeping through completely.

That Barca have not yet conceded should be considered extremely impressive.

After five games, they sit at the top of La Liga, level with Sevilla, and remain unbeaten in all competitions. It would be crazy to argue with that start.

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