Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Racing Santander | La Liga MD 6

Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Racing Santander | La Liga MD 6 Of Barcelona’s five La Liga games so far, three have been away from home and two have been at the Spotify Camp Nou. They have won all five matches, but the club’s dominance at home is always something special. Tomorrow night, the equilibrium between home and away clashes will be restored again as Hansi Flick’s side take on Racing Santander on match day six of the competition. Despite being recently promoted to the first division, Racing have done well in the competition so far this season and currently sit in tenth place with two wins, a draw and two losses to their name after five games. In their most recent clash, they beat Deportivo Alaves despite being a man-down late in the clash and will enter the game against Barcelona knowing full well that they do not have much to lose. Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Racing Santander. A slowly growing defensive concern Barcelona’s new season began in the best manner possible with the team keeping two clean sheets in two games. Since then, however, their record has not been as clean. Alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona have indeed conceded the least goals in the division. However, the trend has not been a positive one and there are signs of worry beginning to creep in. After their initial two clean sheets, Barcelona have failed to keep one in three of their last four games. They conceded two goals against Rayo Vallecano, one against Feyenoord and two against Levante. In fact, many of the goals conceded came from direct defensive errors or lapses in focus. Joan Garcia, for his part, did not err too much in any of the goals conceded, but the defenders have been caught napping or off guard by opposition transitions at times – something that will be of concern for Flick. Heading into the midweek clash at home, there is thus a need to reorganise the defence and regain solidity at the back. Keeping a clean sheet will be a top objective, as will ensuring complete control of the game over the 90 minutes. Pedri needs rest Pedri has looked fatigued. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Barcelona’s win over Levante at the weekend was not comfortable by any means, and both the defence and the midfield let the side down with slack performances. In midfield, it was Pedri in particular who looked off-colour as he struggled to maintain the rhythm of the game and control of the ball as reliably as he usually does. For the past two games, the Canary Islander has looked relatively fatigued, and has been caught with a winded look on his face quite early on in the game. His work rate has been decent, but the discomfort is evident. Tomorrow’s game at the Spotify Camp Nou, thus, could be a great opportunity for Flick to give Pedri rest, possibly even a start on the bench. In such a scenario, Marc Bernal would appear to be the top option to start alongside Rodri in the middle of the park and the manager can also count on Gavi to do the same.  Rodri, for his part, was also not at his supreme best against Levante, but did show signs of control and composure more than Pedri. If Flick had to choose one of the two stars to drop and provide rest at this point, it would be the Canary Islander. Gavi’s worrying situation Gavi started Barcelona’s very first game of the new season against Elche and played 44 minutes of the night before he was hooked off with an injury. What initially appeared to be a major setback to his knee, however, turned out to be a scare and Barcelona celebrated the young midfielder’s fortune. After taking a couple of weeks to get back to his normal fitness, Gavi returned to the matchday squad against Valencia in La Liga and did not have any minutes, even as a substitute. He then came off the bench for a short 11-minute cameo against Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League, before again enjoying no minutes against Levante. The sample size is indeed small to draw conclusions on where Gavi stands in Hansi Flick’s plans, especially given that the team have only played three games since his return. Yet, when one constantly watches the likes of Marc Bernal gain consistent prominence game after game, one is forced to wonder whether Gavi has indeed fallen down the manager’s pecking order. There is no doubt that Flick adores the youngster and that he is managing his return cautiously. However, there is also an element of worry over whether the player is slowly fading into oblivion. If Flick does not hand Gavi prominence for the third straight league game tomorrow, serious questions will begin to be raised about his future and role in the team. The clash against Racing Santander, on that front, is crucial.