Barcelona are sick and Clasico defeat suggests Setien lacks the remedy

The Clasico defeat at the Bernabeu means Barca are again second-favourites for the title but it also exposed the faultlines within an uneven squad

Gerard Pique, in typically caustic fashion, claimed Real Madrid’s performance in the first half was one of the worst he had ever seen at Santiago Bernabeu. The burning question, then, after Barcelona’s 2-0 defeat on Sunday that allowed Madrid to overtake them at the top of La Liga, is: What does that say about Pique’s team?

Barcelona is sick.

They failed to take advantage of Madrid’s defensive lapses in the first half, spurning three crystal-clear first-half chances. Antoine Griezmann fired over the bar from a tempting cut-back, Lionel Messi shot straight at Thibaut Courtois and Arthur, when clean through, was denied by the Belgium goalkeeper.