8 Issues Barcelona Need to Work on During November International Break
Barcelona have the opportunity to fine tune a few issues with yet another international break upon us.
After an unprecedented start to the La Liga season, during which Claudio Bravo remained unbeaten, successive defeats at Real Madrid and at home to Celta Vigo have sounded the alarm bells.
A top-of-the-table clash against Sevilla awaits Luis Enrique and his squad upon the resumption of league duties so let's take a look at what the team can work on to improve in the meantime...
Thomas Vermaelen's Fitness
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Will we see Thomas Vermaelen on the pitch for Barcelona this side of Christmas?
It seems inconceivable that the Belgian centre-back is still not fit enough to pull on the Blaugrana at senior level, despite signing for the Catalans some three months ago.
And yet, even now, the club still has no idea when they might be able to call upon Vermaelen's services.
Luis Enrique told a press conference before the Almeria game, via Jen Evelyn of Inside Spanish Football: “Any of the responses I’ve given in the last two months is still valid. There are no new news.”
The international break at least gives Enrique some respite from league duties and ample chance to assess whether Vermaelen will be in the side sooner rather than later.
Assessing Luis Suarez's Best Position
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After months of waiting, Barcelona fans finally got their first glimpses of Luis Suarez in the games at Real Madrid and against Celta Vigo.
Unfortunately Suarez was a little off of the pace in both, which was only to be expected.
Whilst we saw brief glimpses of the talent that the Uruguayan possesses in spades, there is obviously work to be done in terms of integrating him fully into the system.
It's something that has already been occupying the mind of Luis Enrique. He told the pre-Almeria press conference, via Goal.com:
"We have been thinking about how to incorporate Suarez into the line-up ever since he joined Barcelona and trying to figure out how to get the best out of the players.
But you cannot always put all the players in their best positions.
[Lionel] Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Munir and Pedro can play in many positions and they are all positive solutions.
"
Whether keeping him out wide right is the best solution only time will tell but the two-week period does allow the manager to tinker with ideas, ready for possible implementation in training and games as necessary.
Getting Martin Montoya Up to Speed
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It's about time Martin Montoya got a decent run in the side.
For the last four or five years, the youngster has waited patiently on the sidelines with only sporadic and fleeting glimpses in the first XI.
If he harbours any ambitions at all as a football player, then he must assess his options and act accordingly.
At 23-years-old, this must be his breakthrough season, and with Dani Alves seemingly on the way out, he now has the perfect opportunity to stake a claim.
According to Peter McVitie of Goal.com, Gerard Pique was caught on camera during a recent training session telling Alves :
"Dani, you have many enemies here. You're becoming like me."
Work on Montoya's crossing ability and decision-making over the period may pay dividends in the short to medium term.
Making Plans for Returning Players
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And this one comes with a twist, as both Gerard Deulofeu and Denis Suarez return to the club that are paying their wages.
Both youngsters have been instrumental in the rise up the table of Unai Emery's side, and they will surely be keen to show Luis Enrique exactly what he's missing.
A defeat at home last time out against Celta Vigo needs to be erased from the memory, but it's a performance that will certainly need to be improved upon if the Blaugrana want to take the points against the Andalusians.
Set Pieces
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Is there ever going to be a time when we are not discussing Barca's inability to defend against set pieces?
Corner kicks still present a problem, as evidenced by the game against Paris Saint-Germain, and free-kicks in or around the box still seem to emit a sense of panic in the Catalans' back line.
Considering that a few extra 6'-plus exponents were added in a summer of purchases, Luis Enrique and his team might've expected failures in this area to be improved significantly if not eradicated altogether.
Conceding a score from the smallest player on the pitch in the Parc des Princes wouldn't have been on the agenda.
It's all getting just a little bit too embarrassing now.
Keeping Tabs on Barca B
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Barca B have a fixture against Numancia during the international break which represents a fine opportunity to run the rule over a number of players. Most notably Munir El-Haddadi.
Already with a sniff of what it's like to be in and about the first team, the young Spaniard will surely be desperate to force himself back into Luis Enrique's thoughts again.
Adama Traore, Alejandro Grimaldo and Alen Halilovic head a list of others that are also worthy of consideration for the latter stages of the campaign, and so a visit to the Mini Estadi to check on progress of those individuals may well be in order.
New Formations?
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With a constant need to reassess the needs of the team and potential formational changes, Luis Enrique has his work cut out to devise those strategies that will keep his Barcelona side one step ahead of the opposition.
Often noted to have a bit of a soft core, something we haven't yet seen from the Blaugrana is the double pivot but this is unlikely to change in the near future.
Luis Enrique told reporters, via Jen Evelyn of Inside Spanish Football:
"In principal, I don’t use the system with two defensive midfielders. I haven’t ever utilized such system, we have a system with one pivot. The two could play together because Busquets can play as a central midfielder, but not in a double pivot.
"
Taking a more defensive line is anathema to the usual Barca style but seeing a central-midfield pairing of Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano, with the latter playing more defensively, could well suit the Blaugrana in certain games.
Food for thought over the next couple of weeks.
Understanding Weaknesses, Proposing Improvements
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Perhaps the biggest thing to occupy the minds over the international break will be reflecting on what's worked, what hasn't and which areas need improving the most.
A step back from the hullabaloo of the weekly grind has come at just the right time, given that the two successive defeats has given everyone at Camp Nou a necessary wake-up call after a wondrous start to the season.
Luis Enrique has already shown that he's not afraid to make the big decisions, with the continued benching of Gerard Pique being a prime example.
The next 10 days or so allow the manager to recharge his own batteries and to avail himself of a full squad assessment, before making more informed decisions for the benefit of the team.
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