What went wrong for Barcelona against Real Madrid? And where does Lionel Messi fit at Camp Nou?

FC Barcelona are in a very curious place at the moment.

However in the Champions League they finished behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in their group to go into the Europa League and they often looked outclassed at times.

That feeling of being a step below the competition continued in the Europa League as they were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by Manchester United. Barca held their own at times but they couldn’t cope with some of United’s football.

So we’re now in the curious spot for Barcelona where we’re in the middle of April and, barring a total collapse in the league, there isn’t really anything left for them to play for.

There’s a lot to unpack with everything going on at the club, so we got in touch Jose Arronis from Eurosport Spain to get his opinion on the situation.

We start with the Clasico, and asking what specifically he thinks Barca got wrong, and Real Madrid got right.

“Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, decided to play an open game without a defensive midfielder and fast players up front in attack,” explains Arronis.

“Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez, on the other hand, decided to play defensively at the Santiago Bernabeu but wanted to be more offensive at the Camp Nou and it didn’t work out well.

“The game was obviously impacted by injuries and who was missing as a result, but in recent years we have seen how Barcelona can be overwhelmed by pressure in key moments.

“They have been eliminated in similar fashion from both the Champions League and the Europa League this season.”

So what’s the problem specifically with Barcelona here? There are good players and Xavi looks like a good manager. What causes this issue in the big moments?

Arronis says, “Barcelona has one of the most talented squads in Europe and a coach who knows the club’s philosophy,

“Rebuilding takes time, but Barcelona will again be fighting for big goals in Europe, so they have to adjust quickly.”

Then we come to the question of Messi. There is no doubt that the Argentine would help improve the mentality of the squad with his vast experience in the biggest arenas in football. But he will be 36 when next season starts. Can he still impact the game in the same way? And how likely even is a return given the Catalan club’s financial situation?

“Certainly at this time it is very difficult to know what Leo Messi’s future will be and whether he will return to Barcelona,” says Arronis.

“Barcelona’s economic situation is certainly unideal.

“Barcelona fans are delighted with a possible return of Messi because he is the most important player in their history. They also believe he is the key piece to them returning to being top.

“It is difficult to know what system Xavi would use in order to incorporate the Argentine, but Messi is not the same player as he was when he was younger – it is most likely that he would end up in an attacking midfield position that does not require much physical effort and allows him to exploit his skills. That could be as a traditional No 10 or even as the most advanced player in a midfield three, a No. 8.”