Why Complacency Is the Biggest Issue Facing Barcelona After Atletico Madrid Game

Barcelona will be casting a beady eye over the La Liga fixture list as we begin to move towards the business end of the campaign.

They are looking at which games could trip them up in their quest for another title at the expense of those clubs around them.

Still playing catch-up to Real Madrid, an El Clasico at the end of March has the potential to be season-defining if the status quo remains the same to that point.

There are certainly enough games later in the season to cause the Catalans some problems but they do have seven league games before Madrid come to town and all are winnable fixtures.

The real issue facing Luis Enrique and his side is a complacency which has already seen them drop vital points this season.

With the squad beginning to settle down and Enrique thankfully dispensing with wholesale rotation, at least for now, each fixture should be approached with confidence.

Aside from Celta Vigo, no one has been given an easy ride at Camp Nou. A couple of the upcoming home fixtures are tricky but not insurmountable given that Barca's home form is excellent to this point.

The three away games in the next seven are:

Athletic Bilbao, who are no longer a threat on home soil, the new San Mames is like a millstone around their necks at present.

Granada, who remain marooned at the foot of the table and are no longer the same proposition as the team which overcame the Catalans in April last year.

And Eibar, who have surprised everyone and will certainly give Enrique food for thought but are unlikely to have enough firepower to cause the biggest of upsets.

It's been a tough start to life in the Barca hot seat for Enrique, but the manager made a rod for his own back, switching the starting line-up for 28 games in succession.

Every manager rotates at various points of the season, such are the demands placed on those who engage in elite-level combat. Yet there was never any rhyme or reason seemingly to Enrique's selections.

It was always going to end in acrimony, as detailed by Pete Jenson of the Daily Mail amongst others.

In any event, Lucho now has the perfect opportunity to put the early stages of the season firmly to bed and build on the platform that Barca still retain.

His man-management skills will be put the test again, but if Enrique can ensure that the whole squad are pulling in the same direction and remain focused and motivated, then this could still be a very good season indeed for the Catalans.

Trip up again and questions will rightly be asked. Enrique has already presided over the worst first half of the season for Barca in the last few years and can surely do without any added pressure.

Time to stand up and be counted.