5) Handling Real Madrid’s set-pieces
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If there is one thing that has probably been drilled into everyone's head by now when a team plays Real Madrid, it is that you cannot leave Sergio Ramos unmarked when they win a free-kick or a corner.
The Spaniard has earned the reputation of scoring crucial equalisers or winners deep into injury time and almost always with his head. Real's captain is as slippery as they come when evading his marker and Los Blancos have devised the perfect system to ensure that he has a free header on goal.
The first thing Barcelona have to do is identify the men they should be marking. Enrique's side is not the tallest and only last week Juventus capitalised on that when Mascherano was forced to mark Giorgio Chiellini. The Italian has almost half a foot on Mascherano and easily won the header to score the third goal in the 3-0 win.
It was also Mascherano who was supposed to mark Ramos in the first Clasico and the manner in which he lost the Real defender in the crowd was pitiful. Ideally, Ramos and Ronaldo are the key players to mark as the rest are mainly used as decoys to allow them to get on the end of a cross. We all know how good Toni Kroos is with his delivery.
