Are teams figuring Barcelona out?

Barcelona’s 3-2 defeat to Osasuna last night sent shock waves throughout La Liga and has handed Real Madrid a massive opportunity to move 10pts clear. If that happens then that lead will probably be decisive. But just what has happened to Barcelona this season? They have clearly not been firing like they were last season and they have won just four times in their last 11 league fixtures away from the Nou Camp.

Many people will point to the fact that Pep Guardiola rested several key players ahead of their Champions League tie against Bayer Leverkusen and that has come back to haunt him. Was that a total misread of the threat that Osasuna would pose to his team or an admission that the title is beyond them? Surely Guardiola cannot be giving up yet when they were only 7pts behind and with them having to play Real at the Nou Camp.

It will be interesting to see just how well Barcelona perform in the Champions League but defeats can be a problem because other teams begin to fear you less. The aura that has surrounded Barcelona over the past two years has certainly began to crumble in La Liga for sure. But when you leave Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas on the bench then you cannot be surprised by the result.