What positives can Liverpool take from 'El Clasico'?

Facing Real Madrid in their favourite tournament is never easy. The Spanish side arguably the biggest club in world football, and they are famously succesful in Europe. Real have won the Champions League 12 times, and they are looking to win it for the third time in a row this year. 

However, this current Real Madrid side aren't the juggernauts they once were, evidenced by the fact that they are currently only sitting third in the Spanish league. Zidane's side are shaky at times, and Liverpool's analysts will have been looking at their weak spots ever since Jurgen Klopp's team defeated Roma on aggregate.

Sunday's 'El Clasico' clash with Barcelona will have given the English side reason for hope, according to 'Sky Sports' La Liga expert Terry Gibson. The former Manchester United and Tottenham player, who was talking on the 'La Liga Weekly Podcast', pointed to the left side of Real's defence as an area that Liverpool can exploit.

"Marcelo is a strength going forward, but he does go missing," Gibson stated. "That means Sergio Ramos on the left of the centre of defence gets dragged out and he doesn't want to and we see lots of goals. I am sure Jurgen Klopp is aware of that."

The pundit believes that Ramos lacks pace, and with pacey players like Mo Salah and Sadio Mane on the pitch, this is an area where Liverpool could have a lot of luck.

"You have to deal with the threat of Marcelo but on the break that's where you want your strikers spinning into that right-sided channel because Ramos, when he gets dragged out, is a disaster waiting to happen," Gibson said. 

"Because against quicker players he has to make that initial early challenge which sometimes ends up getting him booked. There are issues."

Continuing, the Spanish football expert said that Real's lack of a consistent formation is a problem. "It has got really untidy at Real Madrid in the last few months because of rotation and the concentration on the Champions League," he began.

"We have seen 4-3-3, an orthodox 4-4-2, a diamond in midfield with 4-4-2, and nothing seems to be working. Playing Lucas Vazquez at right-back against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final was a disaster, and what happened was Luka Modric covered him because he is an intelligent player and he knew Vazquez was struggling, but then you end up wasting him."

"Modric and Toni Kroos playing closer together makes Real Madrid a far better team. Against Bayern Munich Modric was wide on the right of a midfield four and ended up almost at right-back, then Mateo Kovacic in between and Kroos and Marco Asensio on the left. "

"The relationship between Modric and Kroos is crucial to anything good that Real Madrid do."