How Barcelona Will Counter Clasico Threat of Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema and James
Carlo Ancelotti has already confirmed that he will be deploying his Fantastic Four against Barcelona, and even though there are two games between now and the Clasico, Luis Enrique will already be thinking about how to counter them.
Last season, Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid insisted they were taking things "game by game," and it served them well. The club reached the final of the Champions League and won La Liga. However, things don't work like that when you play for Real Madrid or Barcelona.
The Spanish press is already excited about the Clasico and most of the articles you'll find on the homepages of Marca, AS, Mundo Deportivo and Sport will be about the clash or certainly refer to it at some point.
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Even stories relating to Barcelona's games against Eibar this Saturday and Ajax on Tuesday pose questions about whether Lionel Messi will be rested in either of those games to keep him fresh for Real Madrid.
Speaking to Cadena Cope (h/t Sport), Ancelotti discussed his plans for the game on October 25 and what he was going to do with Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez.
"Of course I will play the four," he said. "Bale will be a bit deeper than Cristiano."
Real Madrid face a tough test on the Wednesday night before the Clasico. They travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.
Although the English side have lost the man who dragged them into the Champions League in Luis Suarez, it won't be easy for Ancelotti's men, who may then have to face Suarez anyway on Saturday.
Barcelona's game against Ajax on Tuesday shouldn't be too testing with regards to energy expenditure levels at the back. They normally dominate games at Camp Nou, and the Dutch side are not too tricky a task.
The defence we have seen Enrique utilise most so far sees Jordi Alba and Dani Alves at full-back, with Jeremy Mathieu and Javier Mascherano paired in the middle.
It would be no surprise if they were the four players that were picked ahead of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Enrique will likely be worried that the defence will not be able to withstand a battering from Bale, Ronaldo and company, although his team have not conceded in La Liga to date.
They were ravaged by Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, losing 3-2 and being ripped apart on several occasions, and Real Madrid's attack is a step ahead of the French side.
Dani Alves and Jordi Alba could be exposed if they go forward with the same verve they have been doing this season. Both were weak against PSG.
They have played an important role in Barca's attack, with Enrique preferring his attacking trio to tuck in and play in a narrow fashion, meaning the full-backs have been extremely useful when charging up on the outside.
Alves, particularly, looks better than last season and is playing with the spark that seemed to be missing under Tata Martino.
Perhaps they will be told to hold back to try to stifle Ronaldo and Bale, who cause havoc from wide starting positions.
At centre-back, Enrique has a tough decision to make, too. Gerard Pique is physically much more imposing than Mascherano. The Argentine has been brilliant for Enrique, but Pique would be far more likely to win aerial battles against Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema.
An option for Enrique is to play Pique with Mascherano at the back and push Mathieu to left-back, like he did against Rayo Vallecano.
The Frenchman had a whale of a time down the left and provides better coverage at defensive set pieces than Alba would.
One other plan would see Mascherano join Sergio Busquets to strangle the midfield. If a manager like Jose Mourinho was in charge, those two would be the first names on his teamsheet.
However, Enrique has shown no indication so far that he plans to pair the two as a double pivot, even though it would be an acceptable tactic for a trip to the Bernabeu.
It might even cause trouble for Barcelona, though. While those two could see off James, if Bale and Ronaldo got in behind them, they would be in trouble.
Instead, he's more likely to try to outscore Los Blancos. After all, it's quite conceivable that the first game Barcelona concede a goal in this season in La Liga is the Clasico.
Last time the teams met in the league, it finished 4-3 to Barcelona in Madrid, and you shouldn't bet against something like that happening again.
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