Barcelona lost further ground to La Liga leaders Real Madrid with Xabi Alonso’s side now five points clear of the defending champions.
Hansi Flick was forced to watch from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu stands due to suspension as goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham sealed a 2-1 El Clasico win for Alonso.
Flick became the first Barcelona manager to win his first four games against Real Madrid last season as he swept past Carlo Ancelotti to claim a treble.
However, there have been a few stumbles since the start of 2025/26, and they are now playing catch up to Real Madrid after 10 games played.
Barcelona chaotic financial situation meant the club were limited in their summer spending power with Joan Garcia and an on-loan Marcus Rashford the standout arrivals for Flick.
Both players faced a battle to finalise their La Liga registrations, due to an update on Barcelona’s wage cap, and several stars were sold to balance the books.
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Veteran defender Inigo Martinez completed a shock move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr after playing 46 games last season.
The experience of Martinez allowed his teenage defensive partner Pau Cubarsi to flourish but the team has struggled defensively since his exit.
Former Real Madrid star Toni Kroos has reignited the El Clasico fire by claiming the lack of a Martinez replacement is a major error from Flick.
“I always said how important Inigo Martinez was. Of all the centre-backs at Barca last year, he was the best at coming out of his own half. He isn’t the fastest, but he’s an excellent ball winner with great distribution.
“Against Real Madrid, there were moments when his absence was noticeable. They didn’t replace him and miss him a lot.
“I don’t understand why Eric Garcia played vs. Real Madrid. Ronald Araujo has the physical ability to press higher, especially when you’re so far forward. He would have been ideal for that style and the opponent.
“When you have Mbappe and VinÃcius, you need someone who can keep up with them, Araujo can, it surprised me.”
Kroos’ comments do hint at a deeper issue for Barcelona in recent weeks with no clean sheet in their last seven games across league and European action.
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