El Clasico: Hatching a Plan for Barcelona to Shackle Bale, Ronaldo, James and Co

El Clasico is only a few days away and tensions are already high for the La Liga clash. Barcelona and Real Madrid are both in excellent form going into the match and that means fans are set for a very exciting affair.

Each side will have a game plan when Saturday finally gets here and, for Barcelona, that revolves around stopping the Real Madrid attack. Doing so is much easier said than done, but it isn’t impossible.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez will certainly be the central focus of the Real Madrid attack, and stopping them will be key for Barcelona to win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

With that being said, we will now take a look at what Barcelona must do to shackle the Real Madrid attack and win the first El Clasico meeting of the season. It will be far from easy, but nothing is impossible.

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Controlling the Midfield

As is often the case with Barcelona, everything revolves around the middle of the pitch. The Blaugrana system demands absolute control of the midfield and that will have to be the case yet again when they travel to Madrid on Saturday.

The midfield is where every game is won or lost for the most part. If Barcelona is able to dominate play centrally, the Real Madrid forwards will struggle to get the service they need to wreak havoc on the Catalan back line.

Going into this match, both midfield units look very different.

Real Madrid have used a trio of attacking midfielders almost exclusively this season, which could be a weakness on Saturday. Their lack of a defensive leader in the middle of the pitch will make things difficult against Barcelona who will be sure to have Sergio Busquets commanding play from deep.

With Andres Iniesta and others running at a midfield with no defensive presence, Barcelona should be able to dictate play for long stretches of the game. However, with the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric on the field, Real Madrid will be dangerous every time they have possession.

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It will be very important for Barcelona to press Real Madrid and force them to make mistakes early and often. The midfield is where the game will be won or lost; lucky for Barcelona they have the players needed to be in control.

Limiting Counter-Attacks

Over the past few years it has become overly obvious that Barcelona struggles to defend strong counter-attacks. That just so happens to be something that Real Madrid excel in doing, so limiting their chances will be vital.

To ensure that Real Madrid’s forwards do not see plenty of counters, Barcelona will have to be careful with how far they play up the field. Turning the ball over with only one or two defenders deep will give the hosts favorable chances on goal, and will likely cost the Catalans big time.

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Above all else, Luis Enrique must prepare his full-backs to stay back in defense much more often than they normally do.

Dani Alves and Jordi Alba have consistently had a problem of staying forward in attack too often, which has cost Barcelona dearly on far too many occasions. That can’t be allowed to happen on Saturday because Real Madrid will certainly be ready to take advantage of it.

There is a chance that Jeremy Mathieu will feature as a left-back on Saturday, which may be the best option for Barcelona. He will put defending as his first priority and the Catalans will be sure to have three defenders back at all times.

Barcelona is aware of what allowing the full-backs to roam freely can cause. With Real Madrid’s deadly attacking stars, the Catalans can’t take any chances.

Stay Organized on Set Pieces

On top of Barcelona’s struggles to defend the counter, the Catalan giants are also weak when facing set pieces. The lack of height in the Blaugrana squad can be a very bad thing at times, and Real Madrid will take every chance they get from set plays.

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Ronaldo, Bale and others are excellent aerials attackers and will put themselves into scoring chances from corner kicks and any other set pieces that they are awarded.

For Barcelona to keep Real Madrid from testing the keeper in dangerous ways, they must make sure that they limit their set-piece chances.

The Catalans are not known for committing many fouls, but Clasico meetings can be rough affairs. The referee will not let things get out of hand, so Barcelona will need to be careful about where and how they go into tackles.

Truth be told, both sides will have their fair share of set-piece chances. The only problem is, Real Madrid is much better in the air and dangerous when playing the ball into the box.

Things have greatly improved under Luis Enrique this season, but the defense is not perfect. It is impossible to stop Real Madrid from getting chances, but Barcelona’s biggest focus should be limiting the legitimate goal-scoring chances on Saturday.

How can Barcelona keep the Real Madrid attack at bay? Can La Blaugrana be victorious on Saturday? Leave your thoughts and comments below!