Is fatigue finally catching up with Barcelona?

Andy West 10:46 03/04/2016
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  • Neymar, Suarez & Messi dejected during El Clasico.

    Is Barcelona’s season catching up with them? For the past four months, the Catalan giants’ exertions in the Champions League, Copa del Rey, La Liga and Club World Cup have seen them play two games nearly every week.

    In Sunday night’s 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid, for the first time, they looked tired. Very tired. In the final 20 minutes, when home teams roared on by 90,000 fans would generally expect to rouse themselves for a final push, they had nothing left in the tank.

    Instead, Real Madrid were the ones clearly in the ascendancy, brushing past unconvincing challenges to launch attack after attack.

    Gareth Bale shot straight at Claudio Bravo, and had a headed goal very harshly ruled out. Then Cristiano Ronaldo crashed a bullet against the crossbar and it was obvious Barca were on the ropes, desperately holding on against a physically far superior opponent.

    They could only do so long, and not only did Ronaldo’s winner come as no surprise, Barca didn’t offer anything in response despite playing against 10 men.

    This has been a remarkably long season for Barca, which started earlier than any other major European club as they contested three Super Cup games – in Europe and Spain – before the league campaign even started.

    Throw in the after-effects of last summer’s Copa America, which many of their key players competed in, and all the fronts they are currently attacking, and it’s perhaps no surprise to see their lethargy in the latter stages.

    BARCA'S LAST FOUR HOME LA LIGA LOSSES

    • Barca 1-2 R. Madrid - Apr 2, 2016
    • Barca 0-1 Malaga - Feb 21, 2015
    • Barca 0-1 Celta Vigo - Nov 1, 2014
    • Barca 2-3 Valencia - Feb 1, 2014

    The most worrying thing for Luis Enrique, maybe, is that they have no time at all to get the rest and relaxation they appear to badly need.

    On Tuesday, they will be back in action for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid, whose reputation as the most physically demanding opponent in Spain, perhaps even in Europe, is well founded.

    Another tired performance could well be seized upon by Diego Simeone’s ruthless team, who know that grabbing an away goal would give them every chance of finishing the job at home a week later.

    Barca’s season is not over yet – they are far too good to be written off now – but alarm bells are ringing. Whether they have any energy remaining to switch them off will soon be discovered.

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