5 Issues Barcelona Need to Work on During International Break

The international break has arrived to the disdain of many fans of club football. While the players are away defending the colors of their countries, the managers back home can focus on what changes need to be made.

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique will certainly be taking this time to look at his club’s shortcomings so far this season as he seeks to strengthen the Blaugrana even further. With over a week to work on changes, Lucho has plenty of time to address those issues.

In this article, we will take a look at five major issues that Barcelona need to take a look at during the international break, as well as discussing why addressing these problems is so important.

As always, feel free to get involved in the discussion in the comment section and tell us what you think are the Catalan giants's most pressing issues.

Defending Set Pieces

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No surprises here. Defending set pieces has been Barcelona’s biggest problem over the past few years and Enrique would be wise to take a fresh look at the problem during this international break.

When the season first started, it looked like the new manager had at least made a few minor tweaks to the defense. Barcelona seemed more capable of defending set pieces, but they are far from where they need to be.

Enrique will have plenty of time to watch videos this week and assess how he can set up the defense to deal with this ongoing problem. When the players return from international duty, Lucho should be able to have them better prepared when the club schedule returns.

If this problems continues to go on without being addressed, it could be the biggest thing standing in the way of Barcelona being successful. It has been an issue for far too long, and the time has come for Enrique to put an end to it.

Solidifying the Defensive Lineup

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It is already clear that Barcelona’s defense has improved under Luis Enrique. The team recently set a record for most clean sheets at the start of a campaign—a mark that can be extended in the weeks to come.

Yet, despite all of the recent success of the Catalan defense, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

To begin with, no one really knows Enrique’s first-choice defensive lineup. He has used Jeremy Mathieu and Javier Mascherano quite extensively, but Gerard Pique and Marc Bartra are never out of the picture.

Additionally, Mathieu has also featured as a left-back, giving Jordi Alba and Adriano more competition for their spot. The only defender who is guaranteed a starting role is Dani Alves, who has played in nearly every game.

For the defense to continue improving and keep their strength, Enrique has to figure out where he wants to go with the back line. While rotation is certainly an important part of any squad, so is consistency.

Competition has started to bring out the best in players like Pique, but without a set lineup, preparing for the bigger games will be a bit more difficult.

Finding Consistency in Front of Goal

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Barcelona have been able to score enough goals to get the job done in almost every game this season. However, there have been times when finding the back of the net has proved very difficult. That needs to change.

In almost every match this season, Barcelona have seen several beautiful chances go without reward. For the Catalan giants to continue improving under Enrique, players need to address their finishing.

At first glance, it is clear the team needs someone else to step up.

Lionel Messi and Neymar have been involved in 19 of the club's 22 goals this season, scoring 15 of those, via FCBarcelona.com. No one else has surpassed the two-goal mark yet, which means Messi and Neymar are carrying a dangerously large burden on their shoulders.

Players such as Munir El Haddadi have looked great for the most part, but finishing has been missing from their games. Nineteen-year-old Munir has hit the crossbar on more than one occasion and fans have to think that some matches would have finished off sooner had some chances been put away.

On the other hand, Pedro has looked a shell of his former self. The club needs him—and others—to contribute to the scoring load.

Luis Suarez will be available to play soon and should take some of the pressure off Messi and Neymar, but more on that in a bit.

Getting the Rhythm Back in the Midfield

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Throughout the history of Barcelona, the midfield has always been the club’s key to success. In recent years the trio of Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Xavi have dominated the middle of the pitch for the Blaugrana, but that isn’t quite the case anymore.

Several times this season, the Barcelona midfield has looked somewhat ordinary. Busquets, who rarely puts in a bad performance, is finding it harder to keep command in the new system, while Iniesta and Rakitic are still learning how to play together.

Truthfully, all of the midfielders have looked wonderful individually, but the players are still learning how to play together as a unit.

With Messi dropping deeper and the other forwards drifting further inside, it has been up to the midfield to create space on the wings. Of course, that makes commanding the middle of the pitch much more difficult, and that is where the problem really is.

During this break, Enrique must find a way to get the midfield rhythm back without sacrificing space on the wings. The talent is certainly there, the players have to put it all together.

Preparing for the Addition of Luis Suarez

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The biggest issue Luis Enrique and Barcelona will face in the coming month surrounds Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan’s ban is almost over, and he will soon be available to suit up for the Blaugrana in what could be the most deadly attacking trident in football history.

It is not as simple as throwing Suarez on the pitch with Messi and Neymar. A lot more will go into Suarez’s arrival, and Enrique will have to be careful about how he addresses this matter.

With mere weeks until Suarez is cleared to play, now is the time for Enrique to start making his preparations for how he will use the 27-year-old. He may choose to throw him right into the starting lineup, or he could possibly take a more cautious approach.

Regardless of how Suarez is used early on, no one really knows how much Suarez has been training with the first team in preparation. It is likely he has already become familiar with his new teammates in training, but that is nothing like what he will face in an official match.

Fans are expecting big things from Suarez. For those things to happen, Barcelona will have to be very wise in their handling of his integration.

What issues are most pressing for the Catalans? How long will it take Luis Suarez to find his rhythm in the lineup? Leave your thoughts and comments below.