FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid : Five things to watch
By Vijay Vemu
4. Can Andres Iniesta control the midfield again?
In the previous El Clasico, the 4-0 thrashing Barca gave Real, it was Andres Iniesta’s midfield and nobody else’s. Iniesta did whatever he wanted in the midfield and was a big part of a lot of Barcelona’s success. Apart from his stunning upper 90 goal, the Spanish midfielder controlled play from the get go and made Toni Kroos and Luka Modric run all around the pitch. He completed 95% of his passes and had an assist on Neymar’s goal right before the half.
In his first Clasico with Xavi, Iniesta showed his leadership in the midfield and even helped out youngster Sergi Roberto who was in for the injured Messi. Leaving Ivan Rakitic to run box to box and leaving Sergio Busquets in his normal defensive role, Iniesta took the playmaker role and did it exceptionally.
Look for him to have another big game in the midfield if Real Madrid don’t go up and pressure him. He was given too much room to roam and he split the Real defense multiple with key passes.
He also knows how important this game is to Barcelona as he told the press after training on Wednesday that “It is the first final of all the finals we have left, because from here on all games will be finals.”
Next: 3. Suarez vs. Ramos and Pepe