The unstoppable Barça faces great adversity for the first time this season. Mapi Leon, undisputed starter in the center of the Barça defense together with Andrea Pereira, has been sanctioned with four games by the RFEF competition judge due to a tweet that the central maña put after his expulsion for a double yellow in the culé victory against Real Madrid 4-1 last January.
Mapi had so far disputed a total of 1398 minutes in the 17 games (all starters) played by Barça in the Primera Iberdrola. In addition, in Champions the Aragonese central had also proven to be key, being in the starting eleven of Lluís Cortés in three of the four games (round of 16 and round of 16).
Now the Barça coach – in the absence of appeals and the sanction is modified – will have to restructure the team to qualify at a key moment of the season. You have several options. The first, and perhaps the most recurrent, is to delay the position of Patri Guijarro so that the Balearic midfielder accompanies Andrea Pereira in the center of the defense, as he has done on other occasions this season playing alongside Mapi herself.
On the other hand, there is the option to play with the young woman. Jana Fernández, who yesterday accompanied Pereira as the starter in the defeat of Fortuna Hjorring to seal the pass to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. In the same way, there is also the possibility that Marta Torrejón left the side to play in the center of the defense, as he has done on other occasions throughout his career. Crnogorcevic would thus be a starter on the right wing.
The Barcelona squad is long, but the loss of Mapi León is the most sensitive. The Catalans have only conceded three goals in the league so far. Valencia, Rayo, Sevilla and Levante are the rivals that will prove the new Barça defense.