3 takeaways from Barcelona’s dead heat at Valencia
Barcelona dropped 2 more points in La Liga Santander after being held to a 1-1 draw at the Mestalla Stadium by Valencia in their match day 8 clash.
Barcelona dropped more points in their defence of the La Liga title after being held to a 1-1 draw at the Mestalla by Valencia. Ezequiel Garay opened the scoring for the hosts with less than three minutes on the clock, but Barcelona’s inexorable saviour was none other than Lionel Messi. The 31 year old exchanged passes with Luis Suarez before slotting past Luis Neto into the bottom corner.
It was Valencia who deserved to take away all the spoils, and probably would have done so had they taken their chances. In the end, Los Che left the pitch rather distraught upon getting only one point. Meanwhile, Barcelona seemed content to go home with just one point to their name.
Here’s a look at the three takeaways from the clash.
Barcelona’s defensive line is proving expensive
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Barcelona’s title defence is going for a toss primarily because of their defensive line. Thomas Vermaelen surprisingly started ahead of Clement Lenglet and failed to clear Dani Parejo’s corner in the early stages of the match. So too did Gerard Pique and the ball fell kindly for Garay who scored easily.
It was absolute shambolic defending from the visitors who haven’t kept a clean sheet in five successive outings across all competitions now. Barcelona’s defence was lucky to go at the back of shipping only one goal. Were it not for Goncalo Guedes’ injury, the Catalans could have been sent back home empty handed.
Valverde needs to make substitutions smartly
Ernesto Valverde is known to bring on players in the latter stages of matches. The Barcelona coach lacks the tactical aptitude to make changes which suit his side and are supposed to be a thorn in the opposition’s heart. Even from the off, Valverde fielded a very strong line-up of which several players are in need of a rest.
The third substitution of Ousmane Dembele came in the 88th minute of proceedings. The France international barely played five minutes and should have been introduced a lot earlier. His pace could have been vital in troubling a Valencia side who looked worn out in the latter stages of the game.
This is a field where Valverde needs to apply a lot of brain and get things sorted soon.
Barcelona must make optimal use of the international break
The international break comes at a perfect time for the La Liga champions. Several players who needed rest- primarily Gerard Pique, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Clement Lenglet-will stay in Catalonia and recharge their batteries during the next two weeks without action.
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Obviously, Samuel Umtiti and Sergi Roberto will also stay back after picking up injuries. Barcelona get a demanding week underway as soon as the international break comes to an end, but thankfully all their opponents will be welcomed at the Camp Nou and Barcelona won’t have to travel for away matches. Sevilla, Inter Milan and Real Madrid will all play the Catalans in just one week.