Real Madrid vs Barcelona: How derided Paulinho can determine El Clasico
Coming into the season, Real Madrid were supposed to dominate where Barcelona would flounder. The Supercopa de España success before the campaign kicked off seemed to suggest that Los Blancos would run away with the La Liga title once more. Poor dealings in the transfer window and Neymar’s world record move to PSG hined that the Blaugrana would struggle to match the standards of their illustrious rivals.
However, with El Clasico on the horizon, Barcelona find themselves 11 points clear of Real Madrid in La Liga, albeit having played a game more, and as one of three teams, along with Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, yet to have lost a league match in Europe’s top five leagues this term. Few could have foreseen Barcelona’s strong start to the campaign under Ernesto Valverde and they’ll be out to end 2017 on a high with a win at the Bernabeu.
History is on Barcelona’s side for this one - they’ve won three of their last four league trips to the capital. Real Madrid have lost only two of their last 32 home La Liga games, but that is unlikely to deter Barcelona here. The main plot ahead of this battle is the clash of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, arguably the two greatest players currently gracing the beautiful game. With the pair level on Ballon d’Or’s at five apiece after Ronaldo’s 2017 triumph, Saturday provides another opportunity for the duo to prove their worth to the watching world.
There are a number of sub-plots coming into the tie, with Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique set to lock horns once more, while Croatian pair Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic are expected to face off. However, it’s Barcelona man Paulinho who could be the star of the show in El Clasico. The Brazilian was the butt of jokes when he completed his move to the Spanish powerhouse over the summer after impressing in the Chinese Super League.
His previous stint in Europe saw him derided as a midfielder unable to cut it on the continent. Many a Tottenham fan was happy to see the back of the Brazilian in 2015 and dubbed him one of the club’s worst ever signings. He rebuilt his reputation to an extent in China, but he’s rapidly changed the perception of him as a player during his time in Barcelona. A strong showing on Saturday would see those who cursed the Brazilian completely u-turn on their criticisms from the past.
Barcelona’s decision to sign the 29-year-old may have been the subject of ridicule, with Paulinho’s inability to successfully do keepy-ups at his presentation widely shared on social media, but no midfielder has scored more goals than the former Tottenham man (6) at the time of writing in La Liga this season. What’s more, only Messi (19) and Luis Suarez (10) have had a direct hand in more league goals than Paulinho (8) of all Barcelona players this term. He’s had a direct hand in a goal every 93.5 minutes this season, better than any La Liga midfielder to chip in with five or more goals and assists combined. Detractors have been tucking into humble pie in recent months, that’s for sure.
Valverde even tinkered with his system to accommodate Paulinho and make for a more rugged Barcelona. In the wake of Ousmane Dembele’s injury and Gerard Deulofeu’s poor form following his return to Barcelona, the head coach moved from a 4-3-3 formation to a 4-4-2, easing the pressure on Sergio Busquests in midfield and allowing Paulinho the chance to operate in a box-to-box role that suits his style of play. In making runs from deep too, the Brazilian has forged a solid partnership with Lionel Messi. When Paulinho surges forward, the Argentine has the space opened up for him and it’s seen Messi provide one goal for Paulinho, while the latter’s two assists have been for the former.
It’s added a new dimension to Barcelona’s attack. While the onus was previously on stretching play, Paulinho now barrels forward from deep to punch a hole in the opposition defence and this allows Messi to nip in and really hurt opponents. It's one approach Real Madrid need to be wary of on Saturday. While none would have imagined Paulinho having such a huge influence on the way Barcelona now play, he’s become a key man for the La Liga leaders and it’s his impact that may well help Valverde’s side open up an 14-point gap ahead of their fierce rivals prior to the mini Christmas hiatus.
