Pep Guardiola has a lot of work to do prior to Athletic's visit. Barcelona's coach is eager to recover from Blaugrana's third defeat this season last week in London.
February has been an intense month for Barcelona. First, the Cule squad connected its 16th consecutive victory in La Liga, breaking a new record in the Spanish League.
But afterwards, things started going awry for Pep Guardiola's boys. Their last two matches away (Gijon, to visit Sporting, and London to take on Arsenal for the Champions League) have been rather disappointing, failing to return home with three points from Gijon and falling against Arsenal 2-1.
It's interesting to notice something similar happened last year, back in February 2010, when Barcelona fell against Atletico 2-1 and tied a Champions League game against Stuttgart 1-1. Those games were a turning point for Barcelona, as they pick up 29 of the next 30 possible points.
Barcelona has a busy schedule ahead, as they must visit Valencia and Sevilla in the weeks to come, in addition to Arsenal's visit to the Camp Nou. Is Barcelona ready to face February's challenge?
The main problem Pep Guardiola must deal with is understanding what's going wrong with Barcelona, as not much has changed in the last few months among the starting squad. The next game will have a huge impact on the morale of the squad, and this is something that their next rival will surely have in mind.
Barcelona is walking through thin ice as a strong pillar of its defense is flaking. Back in January 22nd, Barcelona's captain Carles Puyol had to be replaced early in the first half under intense knee pain. Coupled up with Maxwell's poor form in the last few games, Puyol's absence has been one of the few constants in Barcelona's four defeats so far this season.
But there are also numerous positive things to rescue from the last games: David Villa and Pedro are in sensational form, not to mention Lio Messi. In the last few games, Andres Iniesta and Pedro have been far more independent, creating plenty of scoring opportunities on their own.
French international defender Eric Abidal has also done an outstanding work, forming a strong partnership with Gerard Pique in the back line. He'll also be invaluable in the next clash against Arsenal as Pique misses the game due to disciplinary action.
A step should be walked at a time, and now Barcelona has to focus on Athletic, visiting the Camp Nou on Sunday's night.
But afterwards, things started going awry for Pep Guardiola's boys. Their last two matches away (Gijon, to visit Sporting, and London to take on Arsenal for the Champions League) have been rather disappointing, failing to return home with three points from Gijon and falling against Arsenal 2-1.
It's interesting to notice something similar happened last year, back in February 2010, when Barcelona fell against Atletico 2-1 and tied a Champions League game against Stuttgart 1-1. Those games were a turning point for Barcelona, as they pick up 29 of the next 30 possible points.
Barcelona has a busy schedule ahead, as they must visit Valencia and Sevilla in the weeks to come, in addition to Arsenal's visit to the Camp Nou. Is Barcelona ready to face February's challenge?
The main problem Pep Guardiola must deal with is understanding what's going wrong with Barcelona, as not much has changed in the last few months among the starting squad. The next game will have a huge impact on the morale of the squad, and this is something that their next rival will surely have in mind.
Barcelona is walking through thin ice as a strong pillar of its defense is flaking. Back in January 22nd, Barcelona's captain Carles Puyol had to be replaced early in the first half under intense knee pain. Coupled up with Maxwell's poor form in the last few games, Puyol's absence has been one of the few constants in Barcelona's four defeats so far this season.
But there are also numerous positive things to rescue from the last games: David Villa and Pedro are in sensational form, not to mention Lio Messi. In the last few games, Andres Iniesta and Pedro have been far more independent, creating plenty of scoring opportunities on their own.
French international defender Eric Abidal has also done an outstanding work, forming a strong partnership with Gerard Pique in the back line. He'll also be invaluable in the next clash against Arsenal as Pique misses the game due to disciplinary action.
A step should be walked at a time, and now Barcelona has to focus on Athletic, visiting the Camp Nou on Sunday's night.
