Three things we learned from Barcelona’s win over Napoli
2. The defense did enough to hold Napoli at bay.
The Barcelona defense is perhaps the team’s biggest weakness. They came into the match with Gerard Pique as the only fit defender. Fortunately, Lenglet was able to recover from an injury that he suffered in their last league game. The Frenchman contributed the game’s first goal.
Napoli started the match out better and struck the post within the first five minutes. It was the first warning shot but it was the last time they came close to scoring in the first-half aside from the penalty they converted.
The second half was a different story. Down by two, Napoli went for it creating numerous opportunities. Again, whether it was a timely tackle, deflection, or a save by Ter Stegen, Barcelona were able to contain the Napoli onslaught.
Quique Setién: "The team has been good and we deserved the victory. We have overcome the opening minutes and in the second half Napoli didn't create much danger."
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 8, 2020
While Setién might not want to admit it, Napoli did create plenty of danger in the second half. A more clinical team would have put some of those chances away.
The midfield did provide some cover on defense in helping stop counter-attacks. So did Antoine Griezmann who sacrificed a lot offensively to drop deep and help out.
The defense was definitely tested but they did enough to pass. However, doing just enough may not be enough considering who they will be facing next in the quarter-finals.