Barcelona Keeping Eye on Man City Clash Despite Depor Game Could Mean Trouble
The critics are sharpening their knives already.
Luis Enrique is preparing his Barcelona side for the clash with Deportivo la Coruna on Saturday, but, inescapably, in the back of his mind is the Champions League tie against Manchester City on Wednesday.
The Asturian coach will probably deny that when he speaks to the media on Friday afternoon at his usual pre-match press conference. He will say that the team is only focused on the challenge ahead of them.
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When asked if he will rotate his team because of the City game, he will reply that his players aren’t machines and they cannot all play every single game. Lucho will tell reporters and, by proxy, supporters that they have to wait and see who makes the lineup.
But the coach will likely make changes to his first-choice side for the visit of Deportivo because he wants his Gala XI fit for the clash with Pep Guardiola’s City.
In previous games this season, when Barcelona had midweek clashes around the corner, the coach made several rotations.
With Barcelona’s Champions League bow against Celtic on the horizon, Luis Enrique rang the changes against Alaves, falling to a 2-1 defeat at Camp Nou.
Likewise, a Wednesday night clash against Atletico Madrid saw Barcelona’s manager try different tactics against Leganes on the Saturday beforehand. Although Barcelona won 5-1, it was not a vintage display.
He made further changes against Sporting Gijon ahead of the game against Borussia Monchengladbach, with Barcelona running out 5-0 winners.
The fact there are three clear days between Saturday’s game and Wednesday’s means Luis Enrique does not have to make too many changes.
As fitness expert Raymond Verheijen pointed out to Bleacher Report, fewer than three days in between games causes injuries and lowered rates of performance.
He said: "You should plan games to be played with at least three full days in between: 96 hours. It has been proven if there are only two full days, 72 hours between games, then performance will drop and injuries will go up."
Like we saw in the Leganes example, Luis Enrique only changed a couple of players and the formation, rather than the wholesale switches he made against Alaves, likely because there was a three-day gap instead of two.
To some extent, the team he picks to face Deportivo will be tempered by the state of Barcelona’s medical ward.
The international break has had mixed effects for Barcelona. Sergi Roberto, Jordi Alba and Jasper Cillessen picked up injury problems with their national teams and will likely miss this game.
Ivan Rakitic was suffering from a problem before the stoppage and was not called up by Croatia because of it, while Lionel Messi and Samuel Umtiti have been putting the last two weeks to good use as they try to get back to full fitness.
Sport’s Javier Miguel explained the situation succinctly. He wrote:
"Definitely out [for the Depor game]
Sergi Roberto - Suffered an adductor problem and will miss the game against Depor. Wants to be back by Man City
Jordi Alba - A hamstring issue puts him out for 10 days. He may make the City game
Jasper Cillessen - Has an ankle problem and will not be back for the Depor game.
Friday return [the players should receive medical clearance]
Leo Messi - Getting back to fitness after being kept out since September 21 with a groin issue. Expected to play 30 mins from the bench against Depor
Samuel Umtiti - He will appear against Depor after three weeks out after a knee ligament strain.
Doubts
Ivan Rakitic - The Croatian has Achilles problems but may have recovered and it's unknown if he'll make the squad list
"
Losing Sergi Roberto could influence the coach’s tactical setup, particularly bearing in mind Alba is absent too.
Against Leganes, he deployed a 3-4-3 and that may be utilised again this weekend because beyond Aleix Vidal, Barcelona have no other right-backs.
And as we know, Vidal is in the doghouse. He has been excluded from Luis Enrique’s last six Barcelona squads, and only an unexpected, sudden reprieve would see him thrown straight into the team for this game, even if he does get a place in the squad by default.
Good news for Barcelona comes in the form of Messi and Umtiti’s recoveries.
Both trained with the squad on Wednesday as they get ready for action once more. Umtiti was playing well and was winning the battle with Javier Mascherano to be part of the first XI when he suffered his knee injury in training.
Messi was in fine form too but needed to be taken off injured against Atletico Madrid midway through the game. The key with the Argentine is not putting him under too much stress too soon, and for that reason, he is only likely to appear from the bench against Depor, as Miguel suggests.
Spain, France and Portugal getting their World Cup qualifiers out of the way at the start of the week is a boost for Barcelona, with Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez getting back in good time and training on Wednesday.
Neymar’s booking against Bolivia meant he was banned for Brazil’s Venezuela game, and he flew back early too, but there was no such luck for Luis Suarez.
The Uruguayan forward scored a brilliant goal against Colombia in a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night to become the joint top-scorer in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying history.
Suarez ties with Hernan Crespo on 19, while former Chile forwards Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano follow them on 18 and 17, respectively, before Messi in fifth place on 16 goals.
That could play into Paco Alcacer’s hands, with the striker fit and ready to start if needed as he looks for his first Barcelona goal.
The last two visits to Camp Nou have proven fruitful for the Galicians, both ending in 2-2 draws. The first of those, in May 2015, saved them from relegation. The second saw Barcelona needlessly toss the victory down the drain, two goals up with fewer than 15 minutes to go in December 2015.
Perhaps their upcoming visit to Japan for the Club World Cup was on their minds, with the team mentally packing their suitcases while Depor scored two late goals.
Given Deportivo’s previous two results here, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if they managed to take something on Saturday, particularly if Luis Enrique rotates his team and evens the formation to cope with both injured players and the Manchester City game that he must keep an eye on.
Victory against Guardiola’s side would all but assure Barcelona passage to the knockout phases of the Champions League, given they already have six points in the bank.
If the coach’s changes lead to Barcelona dropping points at the weekend but beating City, Enrique might consider that a fair trade. Particularly because the next three Champions League games are less crucial and he can rotate players in those while focusing on La Liga.
It’s a balancing act, and Luis Enrique walks the tightrope while his detractors shout at him from below.
Rik Sharma is Bleacher Report's lead Barcelona correspondent. All information and quotes obtained firsthand unless specified. Follow him on Twitter here: @riksharma_.
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