Barcelona scrape by Dynamo Kyiv in another poor display

Barcelona finally got off the mark in the Champions League, manufacturing a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv at the Camp Nou.

While the victory was a breath of fresh air after losing their first two group-stage matches to Bayern Munich and Benfica, the team still left much to be desired.

A half-full stadium was on hand to witness Barcelona struggle to put away the last place team in the group.

Little room to celebrate for Barcelona after yet another poor performance

The lineup sent out by manager Ronald Koeman lifted a few eyebrows as neither Ansu Fati nor Philippe Coutinho started. Instead, he chose to field a similar lineup to the one used against Valencia, with Sergiño Dest as the right winger and Luuk de Jong as the center forward.

The inclusion of De Jong conditioned the way the team played in the first half. They relied too heavily on crosses into the box with the hope of finding the Dutchman. He had a couple of opportunities to score, missing a clear header (that skill was one of the reasons for his signing).

Barcelona got on the score sheet thanks to Gerard Pique in the 36th minute. The rest of the game however, was filled with missed chances as the Catalans were unable to put the game to rest.

"“I think you have to recognize that after the break we created three clear chances. We can’t let so much go to waste. We were playing for our lives and we let them off the hook,” Koeman said in his post-match press conference.“Thank goodness we were perfect defensively. We were superior, but we have to finish the game off. After an hour we should have been three- or four-nil up.”Source: Marca"

The inability to put the game out of reach has been a constant problem during Koeman’s tenure. Barcelona finished the match with 11 shots but only three on target. The output in the Champions League remains worryingly low.

Against Dynamo Kyiv, it allowed the opponent to get back into the game with the belief they could equalize. At the same time, it put more pressure on the defense and resulted in Barcelona dropping deeper.

The inclusions of Fati, Coutinho and Sergio Aguero did little to stem the tide with the 18-year-old also falling victim to the team’s scoring woes and poor decision making.

"“Ansu is missing some things and that’s normal,” said Koeman. “You have to think he’s a player that has been out for such a long time. He needs time to improve in all senses. That’s normal. He’s going to be 19. You can’t ask that at that age he solves everything we needs or fills in for Leo Messi. Everyone has to do it.“I have to talk to him about that move. He should have given it to Coutinho or Busquets, but you have to go step by step. You can’t expect miracles from Ansu Fati because he’s been out for so long and needs a lot of work.”Source: Sport"

Barcelona kept their Champions League aspirations alive but not in a convincing manner. They pick up the 3 points and sit third in Group E, one point behind second-place Benfica.

The tough run of fixtures continues as they prepare to take on Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season. Anything less than a win could spell disaster for Koeman. Barcelona are going to need to improve quickly if they want any chance of beating Carlo Ancelotti’s men.