Barca crumble without Piqué

It's never a good idea in football to put a problem down to a sole cause. In a sport where a number of factors are at play, rarely can the blame be pin pointed on a specific variable. However, some variables are more determining than others. In Barca's case, Gerard Pique is one of those.

Since the arrival of Xavi Hernandez, it has seemed as though Barcelona have returned to the winnning team they are famed for. Something they could not live up to with Ronald Koeman was in charge. However, recently, 'Los Cules' have been losing matches. In these last few matches, Pique has not been on the pitch.

Barca have lost three of their last four matches. Pique was absent in those three losses. He was sidelined against Frankfurt, Cadiz and Rayo, all at the Camp Nou, where his team were not even able to manage a draw. However, he did play at Real Sociedad, where Barca came out 0-1 winners.

Barca's defensive solidity crumbles when Piqué is not leading the back line. Araujo has shown his strength even without Piqué by his side, but others such as Eric Garcia and Lenglet have reminded the Barca fans how much they miss their number 3 on more than one occasion. 

The numbers are obvious for Barca. A clear indicator has been revealed which explains Barca's dependence on Piqué's presence on the pitch. Out of the nine games that he has missed, the team only managed to keep one clean sheet. However, out of the 39 games the centreback has been on the pitch, the team have managed nine clean sheets.