Barcelona’s worrying defensive record heading into the game against Real Madrid

Barcelona’s worrying defensive record heading into the game against Real Madrid After tasting their first defeat of the season, FC Barcelona will look to bounce back to winning ways once again as they take on Real Madrid this weekend. It will be the first El Clasico of the season, with Barcelona being branded as the outright favourites owing to their form so far. However, nothing can be taken for granted, especially if take into account Barcelona’s poor defensive record this season. Barcelona’s defensive numbers are concerning As reported by Mundo Deportivo , the sheer volume of goals Barcelona have shipped is a genuine cause for concern ahead of the Clasico . Defence has been a problem for Barcelona this season. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Across their 12 official matches, Flick’s side have conceded 15 times. Nine of those have come in LaLiga, an average of one per game, with a further six leaked in the Champions League, a worrying two per game. Rayo Vallecano, Levante, Racing Santander and Real Betis all scored twice against them, while PSG ran riot with four in Tuesday’s defeat. More alarming than the quantity, though, is the nature of the goals. Barcelona have been undone by three headers, conceded from crosses against Sevilla and Betis and from a corner against PSG, with set-pieces in general proving a recurring weakness. Errors and a makeshift back line Individual mistakes have also crept in to compound the issue. Two goals, both against PSG, arrived from shots outside the box, while two others stemmed from avoidable errors, a risky pass back to the goalkeeper against Levante and an unnecessary dribble from Wojciech Szczesny against Racing. Flick must find a defensive solution. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) A relentless run of defensive injuries has only made matters worse. Flick has been forced to field 10 different back lines in just 12 matches, with the latest in Paris, comprising Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Joao Cancelo. Flick had no other choice due to the absences of Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia. As a measure of precaution, he even had to take off Espart late in the game. Flick has already begun addressing the problem on the training ground, with the dressing room identifying the need for greater composure, better spacing, stronger support play and an end to careless losses of possession in dangerous areas. Whether or not any of that can be executed against a resurgent Real Madrid remains to be seen.