Barcelona's 4 Key Issues Luis Enrique Needs to Solve Before Tough Run

The pressure is still on for Barcelona boss Luis Enrique.

Beating Ajax 2-0 on Wednesday night was an important result for the club, arresting their dip in form and securing qualification to the next stage of the Champions League.

However, all the doubts and worries in his squad and about his tactics highlighted in recent weeks don't go away just because of one victory.

While some of them may have been overstated, there are four clear areas which Barcelona need to address.

In the weeks ahead, they face a number of tough games. The sooner they find solutions to these issues, the more likely it is they will be within touching distance of Real Madrid in December.

As well as away matches against Almeria, Apoel Nicosia and Huesca, all of which they should win, there are some considerably tougher games.

They host Sevilla on November 22, and after their home defeat by Celta Vigo, the blueprint for Unai Emery's side has been laid out.

On November 30, it's a trip to the Mestalla to face Nuno Espirito Santo's vibrant, exciting Valencia side in a game sure to be a real cracker.

After that, there's a Catalan derby at the Camp Nou with neighbours Espanyol, before the crucial Champions League clash against PSG.

Both teams are already through to the next round, but this game should be the one which confirms who goes through top and is likely to get an easier tie in the next phase. 

Fix the Front Line

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Luis Enrique has three of the best forwards in the world in Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

However, what he doesn't have is the pefect way to deploy them. 

So far, we've seen Suarez play on the right, Messi in the middle and Neymar on the left. It hasn't worked well, with two defeats in the first two games they all played in.

The third, against Ajax, ended up a far better result. However, it was down to two moments of typical Messi record-smashing brilliance rather than any strong teamwork.

In the second half of that game, Suarez assumed a central striking role, Messi stayed behind him as a No 10 and Neymar remained on the left until he was replaced.

Messi finally fed Suarez, although the Uruguayan is lacking fitness and wasted his one-on-one chance.

However, that then leaves a gap on the right, which will see Dani Alves eaten for breakfast by any team that can attack down their left.

What is the best solution? That's for Enrique to discover.

Playing a double pivot and then adding Andres Iniesta when he returns from injury to the midfield might be the way to do it. 

Defensive Confusion Must End

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The defence is still a big problem for Barcelona, just like it was last season.

Although a string of clean sheets at the start of the season made it seem like Luis Enrique's defensive work on the training ground had paid off, that was not the case.

There were various reasons for the streak, including both weak opposition and good fortune, and they were exposed when they let in three goals each against the best two sides they have played in Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Enrique is not helping his defenders by chopping and changing. Gerard Pique has started exactly half of Barcelona's games this season.

Marc Bartra has been cut from the squad entirely but brought back in for big games, like the one against Ajax on Wednesday.

Jeremy Mathieu has been shuffled out to left-back, the position he played for several years before last season, but the Frenchman claimed he was surprised Enrique wanted him to play there.

In short, the whole thing is a mess, much like watching Javier Mascherano leap for a high ball against a tall striker.

If Enrique sticks to his current plan, we will see exactly that when the Argentine goes up against Alvaro Negredo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Valencia and PSG respectively.

It would be best if Enrique kept Mathieu in the middle and picked one of Pique or Bartra to partner him. 

What Is the Football Philosophy?

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Tata Martino upset some Barcelona-based media and supporters last season when he didn't see the problem with ceding possession against Rayo Vallecano in exchange for a 4-0 win.

It went against Barcelona's football philosophy, which has served them so well for so many years.

Enrique, steeped in this style of playing from his time at the club, knows what he needs to do and what the fans want.

Does he have the players to do it?

Barcelona appear to be at the start of a shifting process. The key elements in their side are no longer in the heart of the pitch, pulling the strings. Instead, they are in attack.

With Neymar, Messi and Suarez, Barcelona would be best suited zipping the ball forward on the counter-attack, particularly with Xavi's influence severely diminished.

Against Real Madrid, there was a role reversal, with Barcelona often on the back foot.

In the first half against Ajax, even the Dutch side had more possession.

While this was rectified by the end, that was partly thanks to Ajax being reduced to 10 men.

Of course, against La Liga's minnows, Barcelona can keep on playing the same way. However, Enrique must determine whether his team are capable of keeping the ball in big matches.

If they are not, then he needs to put his full weight behind a different style of play. 

The Side Needs Confidence Again

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This one's simple, and it's down to good man management.

We looked at the case of Gerard Pique on Thursday, with the defender currently in Luis Enrique's bad books.

He is a popular figure within the squad, and although perhaps he needs to be taught a lesson, it can't do the team much good if a grudge is born between the manager and the centre-back.

In general, Enrique needs to pick his men up after a couple of heavy blows.

The win over Ajax was the start of that.

With good motivation and a good result against Almeria this weekend, Barcelona can come back from the international break focused and ready to get back where they belong.