Dissecting Barcelona's deficiencies in sleepy El Clasico

Barcelona lost a prime opportunity to close the six-point gap behind Real Madrid on Saturday, a trademark Sergio Ramos header stealing a point for the visitor in an eventual 1-1 draw.

Barcelona's display at the Camp Nou was uninspiring and flat. Though substitute Andres Iniesta tried his best to work some imaginative play into the match, suspect defending cost the home side.

Once again, the Blaugrana looked pedestrian, their greater share of possession yielding just two shots on target throughout the 90 minutes.

They've dropped nine points at home this season - more than any of their previous seven domestic campaigns - and Lionel Messi has now gone five El Clasicos without a goal.

In the first half, it felt like Barcelona, in fear of losing a contest that could've spelled the end of its title challenge, played not to lose. The second stanza proved more adventurous, but several chances to build on Luis Suarez's goal went begging, not least the one Messi drifted wide.

Barcelona's deficiencies became painfully obvious. Here are three things manager Luis Enrique has to fix:

Defence concedes too much space

One of this season's developing themes is Barcelona's overall complacency at the back.

Even if Ramos didn't meet Luka Modric's cross in time, Raphael Varane would've nodded in the equaliser. Neither was marked by a Barcelona player, and considering Ramos' penchant for scoring late headers, it's absolutely criminal no one picked him up at the edge of the 6-yard box.

Gerard Pique didn't have a bad game - he kept Cristiano Ronaldo relatively quiet and made a game-high six clearances - but, as a unit, Barcelona has lost a lot of discipline. There were times when the host sat deep and invited Madrid into the final third, particularly when Ronaldo had the ball. It necessitated last-minute interventions, and when one crucially failed to arrive in the 90th minute, Ramos took advantage.

Javier Mascherano was also lucky to get away with an early tackle on Lucas Vazquez, who had every right to claim a penalty.

Injuries have ravaged Barcelona's defence for large parts of the season, and that lack of continuity is certainly affecting its overall chemistry.

Once a strength, midfield is incomplete

When it comes to any and all criticism of Barcelona's midfield, Sergio Busquets is exempt. On Saturday, he exuded confidence and slipped passes in narrow lanes to try to kick-start a flailing attack.

But Busquets alone cannot dominate the pitch. Once a hallmark of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, the midfield is now a real source of concern for the Catalans.

Whatever Andre Gomes is supposed to do, he hasn't done. There's no structure or purpose to the way he plays.

On this occasion, he ran aimlessly about the pitch, acting like a bit of floater between plays. He offered no creativity, and played relatively safe with his passes.

The €35-million transfer fee Barcelona paid this summer to Valencia looks like robbery in broad daylight. Madrid also chased the player in the close season, but based on the subsequent evidence, it didn't so much miss out as dodge a massive financial burden.

It really should've been Gomes whom captain Iniesta replaced in the second half, but it was instead Ivan Rakitic, the only other midfielder with the ability to facilitate possession.

Iniesta made an immediate difference. He completed nearly all of his 27 passes, created two decent goal-scoring opportunities, and lifted Barcelona's tempo. Considering his ability to turn possession into positive momentum, he also allowed Messi to play farther up the pitch.

Scoring isn't so easy anymore

Barcelona's now scored just five goals in its past five matches across all competitions, a below-average return for a team with the best offensive trio in football.

A deep dive into stats over that span reveals Messi, Suarez, and Neymar are firing less than 50 percent of their shots on target, and against Madrid, that same profligacy reared its head.

Then there's simply a lack of finishing. Iniesta sprang Messi free in the box in the 82nd minute, and instead of producing a trademark quick release, the Argentine carried the ball for a bit too long and ended up hooking it wide.

Neymar, too, walloped a perfect chance way over the bar after mesmerising Dani Carvajal with his fleet footwork.

Suarez managed to create space for himself before heading in Barcelona's opener, making good on one of the few looks he had in front of goal, but it's not enough. Enrique's forwards are missing that predatory instinct to make opponents pay.

Even as the Clasico entered its final stage, Barcelona didn't seem intent on killing the match. Guardiola's side would've at least cradled this one to sleep. Enrique's lot couldn't even keep its composure or do anything special on the counter-attack.