Clasico: Real Madrid – FC Barcelona, ​​a bench separates them

While Real welcomes Barça this Sunday (20:45) – in a Clasico capital for the title of champion of Spain – the club merengue has a certain advantage over his Catalan rival: his bench.

Last Saturday against Real Gijon, Real Madrid lined up his team B, to turn in sight of the quarterback C1 against Bayern. Even without automatic, the Merengues won (3-2) , carried by an enormous Isco, it is hard to know what he is still on the bench. A few hours later, Barça presented himself with his typical team, only amputated Neymar (suspended) and Iniesta (handled) face Real Sociedad, four days of his return against Juve. Barça won (3-2) , but unlike the Madrid, did not want to rest their executives. Did Catalan coach Luis Enrique really have a choice? The question arises, as the benches of the replacements of the two formations seem incomparable.

At Real, luxury replacements almost everywhere
The Real can afford large rotations, relying on a number as large in quantity as in quality. In the defense line, nobody is really installed next to Ramos, Varane and Pepe are competing for the post. With these three world-class central defenders, Real can see coming, especially as the Spanish international Nacho is a serious fourth man. To the right of the defense, Danilo offers real competition to Dani Carvajal, and the two men are interchangeable at will, without losing quality.

On the left, the difference in level is more visible between Marcelo and Coentrao . The Brazilian plays the big matches, with the volume that we know him, While the Portuguese allows him to blow, but does not display a rhythm as high as him. In the cages, the hierarchy is clear with Keylor Navas, indisputable holder, and Kiko Casilla , aligned in Cup and certain other matches, to rest the Costa Rican. Again, Real is based on two sure values.

Football training
In the middle, the bench of Real is four stars. To turn his trio Casemiro-Kroos-Modric, Zidane has the choice between … Kovacic , Isco and James Rodriguez ! The young Croatian Kovacic (22 years), after a year of adaptation, gives full satisfaction, with a valuable versatility, able to play as sentinel or relay. ” Every time he plays, he’s good, ” ZZ jubilated in February. It offers a healthy and serious competition in the middle, just like Isco. The latter is even more advanced in the hierarchy and can expect a place of titular so its services impress. Despite his intermittent status, he is the second most decisive Merengue player in La Liga behind Ronaldo, With an implication in 14 goals of his team in Championship (9 achievements, 5 assists).

To complete this cast of luxury, Zidane can also count on James Rodriguez, bought 75 million euros in 2014 in Monaco. The Colombian is not confident and is satisfied with the little time of play that is given him in Liga (842 minutes this season), but he remains a player capable of making the difference at any time.

In attack, ZZ also has impressive possibilities, with obviously the Spanish international Alvaro Morata , who tries to dislodge Karim Benzema in peak. With one or the other, the Real relies on a number 9 of global scope. On the wings, Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio have much more trouble shading Ronaldo and Bale, but both men are convincing when called upon. The multiple injuries allowed them to have play time, and show good skills, especially for the young crazy flame Marco Asensio (21 years), author of 9 goals all competitions combined.

In Barça, huge deficiencies in all the lines
In Barcelona, ​​the bench is very uneven in quality. In defense, Luis Enrique has only one luxury joker. It is the indispensable Javier Mascherano , in competition with Umtiti to play with Piqué in the axis, but who also helps out in midfield from time to time. Apart from the Argentinian, the men available are struggling to get to the level. Regularly used until the end of February, Lucas Dign e is missing since, victim of the change of system with the passage to 3-4-3. The former Parisian had in any case failed to establish a real competition with Jordi Alba, despite first interesting matches with the Blaugranas.
Football training
Jérémy Mathieu always plays the role of mouth hole, once in the axis, the other time on the side. But he does not manage to raise his level of play to reach the required standing, as soon as the opponent is dangerous. ” One wonders how he can wear the shirt of Barça. It’s light years away, “said Steven Gerrard, scathing, after seeing the performance of the former Sochalien in Turin. For the rest, Luis Enrique can not count on Aleix Vidal , badly hit, and disappointing before his injury, and still does not trust the young Brazilian central defender Marlon (21 years), appeared once with the pros in C1, Against Celtic. Landed in the hope of ” putting doubt in the Spirit of Luis Enrique “, the Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen is very far away. Disappointing when he played, he now watches Ter Stegen chain matches, although he is still lined up in the King’s Cup.

Luis Enrique has more possibilities in the middle, with Denis Suarez and André Gomes , in addition to Mascherano, ideal replacement of Busquets. Designated as the future successor of Iniesta , Denis Suarez is not yet ready to replace Don Andrès . ” He still has to improve but he’s on the right track, ” according to his coach. He is an interesting joker, but he has not yet the level expected of a holder in the midfield of Barça. The same goes for André Gomes, who arrived this summer for 35 million euros. The Portuguese European champion has not finished his adaptation. Lack of benchmarks at the beginning, it received many criticisms, for lack of impact, And its discrepancy with respect to the rhythm of the Catalan game. Midfield most used this season behind Busquets and Rakitic, it must increase in regularity to really upset the hierarchy.

Rafinha and Arda Turan also repaired in the middle, when Barca had needs. They also evolved on the sides of the attack. The Brazilian Rafinha offered good guarantees, but finished his season, following an injury in early April. One less solution for Luis Enrique. Arda Turan was successful at the beginning of the year, in the absence of Neymar, retained at the Olympics. But behind, the Turk did not know how to chain the return of the Brazilian. Since his arrival at Barça, he is only the shadow of the player that he was at Atlético, but remains a very good joker. Except that he, too,
Recruited to blow the MSN, Paco Alcacer is a big disappointment. (Reuters)
Recruited to blow the MSN, Paco Alcacer is a big disappointment. (Reuters)
The last offensive solution is Paco Alcacer . While Barça sought during the summer an attacker able to supplement the MSN (Lacazette, Ben Arfa, Gabriel Jesus, Vietto, Gameiro …), the cell of recruitment Catalan has set its sights on him. But the 30 million euros invested are far from being profitable. With 4 goals in 17 Liga matches, the former Valencian is clearly not in line with the standards demanded of a striker from Barça. In Catalonia, Alcacer is considered a big flop, and his departure in June is likely. Difficult therefore for Luis Enrique to make blown the MSN. Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez are the three most used field players this season, and the lack of a valid solution in attack is not unrelated to this.

To complete his light bench, the coach blaugrana has several times appealed to young people of the reserve ( Alena, Carbonell, Cardona, Marlon, Nili ). They were content with a tiny handful of minutes, but these makeshift reminders sound like signs of despair, to complete the shortages of a bench too weak to fight a whole season.

Balance sheet
If it is difficult to say which eleven type is the best between the two giants of Spanish football, the bench of Real is clearly superior to that of Barça, and this can have a major impact in the final sprint in La Liga. A close look at the three points that currently separate the two teams (plus a late match to play for Real) are already linked to these extra luxury Madrid, as proved the previous weekend.