What Is Luis Enrique's Best Centre-Back Pairing at Barcelona?
Luis Enrique can thank his lucky stars. Not for some years has a Barcelona manager had so many options in the centre of defence.
It was a luxury that was even denied to Pep Guardiola in many respects, the experiment of Dmytro Chygrynskiy best discarded to the annals of club history.
At this point, Lucho can regularly call on the services of Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Marc Bartra and Jeremy Mathieu.
Not forgetting Thomas Vermaelen who has yet to appear in earnest for the Blaugrana.
A former captain of the Gunners, Vermaelen's injury woes continue and the Belgian has been the subject of much mirth. However, this conveniently bypasses his prior excellence at the heart of the Arsenal back line.
Once fit and ready for action, Vermaelen should provide decent competition for places.
Competition is something that Gerard Pique didn't have for years when alongside Carles Puyol. He was an easy pick, and to that end it was inevitable that he would take his eye off of the ball at some stage.
Dwindling personal form and a poor World Cup was followed by an insouciance towards Enrique and his methods.
Such an attitude backfired, as noted by Pete Jenson for the Daily Mail:
"Gerard Pique was left in the stands for the team's last match against Celta Vigo after television images showed him using his telephone on the bench in the second half of the Catalan Super Cup final.
Ever since the start of the season Pique has been left in little doubt that his place in the first team is anything but assured with Javier Mascherano and Mathieu preferred by Enrique.
"
Whatever the truth of the matter, the hard-line approach taken by the manager has clearly worked because for a while now, Pique has been the best defender on show.
If not quite back to his best, then he is certainly some way to approaching it. Indeed, WhoScored.com would appear to support that theory. Pique's figures are just shy of the last season or two, but are better that Barca's "golden era" from 2009-2012.
For that reason, he should be the first name on the team sheet as part of an ideal centre-back pairing.
As to who best to support him, we should perhaps look at the player who is most complementary to Pique's skill set.
Jeremy Mathieu perhaps hasn't done quite as well as he would've expected upon signing from Valencia.
A reasonable start meant that any worries as to his age and suitability were quickly dispelled, and naturally left-footed, the Frenchman was no doubt seen as a mirror for Pique.
But just four 90-minute appearances since the turn of the year, with two of those in the Copa del Rey, has shown supporters of the club that the manager doesn't really fancy Mathieu in the big games.
Javier Mascherano has, in general terms, been given the nod as Pique's defensive partner. That hasn't really changed for a while now with both Tito Vilanova and Tata Martino opting for a Pique/Mascherano axis when Carles Puyol wasn't available.
The Argentinian has shown time and again that, despite naturally being a defensive midfielder, he can more than hold his own as a centre-back.
His timing in the tackle is often impeccable, while his positional excellence has often got Pique himself out of jail.
In many respects, the only thing that Mascherano lacks is height, and being so short certainly hasn't helped repel the onslaught of high balls into the box. Still Barca's Achilles' heel.
Squawka.com note that Mascherano's passing ability exceeds even Pique's and is certainly the best of the back line.
Mathieu is the most adept at winning duels, either aerially or on the deck, but when we compare defensive actions between all four active exponents, both he and Mascherano are left behind with Marc Bartra ahead of them in the ranking list.
Yet this is where statistics, although measured correctly, can often be misinterpreted.
Clearly, Bartra hasn't played anywhere near the same amount of games as Mascherano—five compared to 17 in La Liga per WhoScored—yet it's Bartra who comes out on top statistically.
That said, when the youngster has played, he has certainly acquitted himself well.
Only Lionel Messi's hat-trick against Levante prevented Bartra from claiming a well-deserved man-of-the-match accolade.
Whether he can convince Enrique to give him a regular starting berth remains a moot point at this stage.
He remained philosophical at the start of the season, per Barcelona's official website:
"It’s my third year and I’ve been through a lot, from not getting a sniff to playing a bit and then getting picked for big games. Now I feel mature and excited about giving all I can to the first team. There will be more competition and we will have to grit our teeth and fight for a place in the team.
The best thing we can do is to accept that there are no guaranteed starters and reserves—we are all the same. There are players with more cachet, but the most important thing is what they bring to the team as a whole.
"
The players with more cachet still appear to be the ones picked more often to partner Pique, but it would be hard to see past Pique and Bartra being the most natural fit.
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