Barcelona was the unmovable object.

The team that had not yet conceded in the Spanish League. The defense was rock solid. Claudio Bravo was terrific in goal. Lionel Messi and Neymar were playing really well together. Even the midfield passing game looked rejuvenated with Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta working well together.

But then the team came back to earth in a bad way. A 3-1 drubbing at the hands of its worst rivals in a match that could have easily ended 5-1 if not for some poor finishing from Real Madrid's forwards.

So what exactly happened? And what can be fixed?

Defensive Choices Were Poor by Luis Enrique

One of the biggest shocks prior to the start of the game was the unflappable Barcelona coach's decision to use a back four consisting of Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu. Mathieu, a natural central defender, was utilized on the flanks instead of Jordi Alba -- Enrique's first big mistake.

Alba gives the team some offense on the left side of the pitch and would have kept Madrid right back Dani Carvajal a headache. Instead, Carvajal was allowed to sit back and defend against Neymar and essentially shut down the Brazilian for most of the game.

Mathieu offered little offensively throughout the match.

Mathieu should have started the game. But in the middle of the defense. The man who should have been kept on the bench? Pique.

The Spanish defender has been horrid for the last year or so and his form has not improved markedly in recent matches.

And sure enough, he was the scapegoat for the opening goal. He got a handball on a low cross and effectively killed his team's momentum (or any they still had).

And when the going got worse, he looked lost and unable to manage Madrid's pace.

How do you fix this?

Pique should ride the pine as often as possible, only getting some time in against Copa del Rey competition and weak Champions League clubs.

Xavi Hernandez

This was a rather baffling decision by Enrique. The veteran might have experience playing in these big games, but he has not been an elite midfielder for over a year now.

And it showed.

Xavi played well in the early going and it looked like he, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi were linking up well in the middle of the pitch.

But at age 34, Xavi is no longer effective for 90 minutes. And as the game's speed increased, he waned and eventually faded into nothingness.

He was not controlling the tempo, or the ball, and he was not helping out on the back end. His play in this game resembled his disappearing act in Spain's 5-1 loss at the World Cup against the Netherlands.

Ivan Rakitic's arrival in the game altered Barcelona's play a bit, but it was too little too late.

Solution?

Xavi still has skill. But he should be used as an impact substitution late in games. The team would have been better with Rakitic as a starter.

Barcelona Looked Incapable of Keeping Pace with Real Madrid

And here is the big point. Barcelona looked lost in dealing with Madrid's quick pace. The team controlled the ball well in the middle of the park, but found itself under siege throughout as the host team constantly found ways to strike on the counter. If not for some poor finishing, Madrid could have scored a few goals in this manner.

The third goal was the result of some poor Barcelona play coupled with Madrid executing on the counter.

Solution?

Luis Enrique needs to get his team attacking in much more direct and quick manner. That is probably the only way this team will learn to cope with this kind of game.

Schedule

The full schedule for Barcelona's can be found here