Barcelona’s 4-3 triumph over Real Madrid was a thrilling encounter, propelling the Catalan club back into the thick of the La Liga title race.
But it was not a great team performance, and the Barca hierarchy should be careful to ensure they do not allow Sunday’s triumph to paper over the cracks of their very obvious weaknesses.
Barca should be big enough to acknowledge they were fortunate to come away with three points.
Midway through the first half, they were in severe danger of being blown away when Madrid raced into a 2-1 lead with a quickfire brace from Karim Benzema.
If Gerard Pique hadn’t been in the right place at the right time to clear another Benzema effort off the line, it would have been game over.
The visitors were also beneficiaries of a big stroke of fortune in the game’s decisive moment, when Sergio Ramos was wrongly sent off for challenging with Neymar inside the penalty area.
From that moment the match completely changed complexion, with Madrid’s 10 men losing their attacking ambition and sitting back in the hope of holding on for a draw, while Barca established control over possession.
Eventually, the pressure told as Andres Iniesta coerced Xabi Alonso into a rash challenge and Lionel Messi completed his hat-trick to secure a famous victory.
But it was not a convincing one – with a few different bounces of the ball (or brandishes of cards) the outcome would have been very different and we’d now be talking about Madrid having the title in the bag and Tata Martino’s future in further doubt.
Unlike some of the Bernabeu triumphs of their peak years – notably the 6-2 win in 2009 – this was not a footballing masterclass.
Rather, the victory came about through some great moments of individual brilliance from Messi and Iniesta, a tremendous will to win, and a fair amount of fortune.
If they are shrewd, the club’s decision-makers will not hide away from the conclusion that, during long periods of the game, Barca’s shortcomings were clearly evident.
Firstly, Javier Mascherano is acommendably committed performer whose attitude can never be faulted, but he is not a world-class centre back.
At times during the first half he was a liability, leaving Pique to man the fort almost single-handedly.
A proper replacement must be signed.
Secondly, Xavi’s declining physical ability is causing problems in midfield, where Barca were far too open for much of the game.
The central trio of Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabregas might be great in possession, but they are lacking in pace and mobility and were badly exposed by Angel Di Maria’s movement and trickery.
Barca need to accept that Xavi is on his way out and find a more physically robust replacement along the lines of Juventus’ Paul Pogba or Marco Verratti of PSG.
And there is also the ongoing Neymar issue.
Maybe the Brazilian star’s troubles are the result of his off-the-pitch problems, but he was subdued again on Sunday night and the club still needs a long-term strategy to get the best out of him.
Barca might have won this particular battle, but the war rages on.
