Lack of firepower sink Barcelona against Real Madrid

Ronald Koeman remains winless against Real Madrid as Barcelona suffered their third consecutive Clasico loss, falling 2-1 at the Camp Nou.

Despite a solid half hour where the Catalans had most of the ball and were recovering quickly after losing possession, it was the visitors who got on the scoresheet first. Real Madrid took full advantage after dispossessing Memphis Depay in their own third.

It took only a few passes for the ball to reach David Alaba on the right who curled his shot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the opener.

Lack of firepower for Barcelona ever-present once again

Prior to Alaba’s goal, Sergiño Dest had an incredible opportunity to put Barcelona ahead. The ball found its way to him near the penalty marker as the American had a clear sight of goal. The right-back-turned-winger skied the ball over Thibaut Courtois. It was a chance he would go on to regret.

Philippe Coutinho came on in the second half for Oscar Mingueza. His inclusion opened up the game a bit as Barcelona were chasing the equalizer. However, Madrid absorbed the pressure and limited Barcelona to weak attempts and low-percentage shots.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men sealed the win in stoppage time on another breakaway which saw Lucas Vazquez outmuscle Eric Garcia to poke it home.

Sergio Aguero got a consolation in the final minute of play but it was too little too late.

It was yet another defeat against a quality opponent — an unfortunate calling card for Koeman.

The Dutch manager, however, applauded his team’s resilience and took solace in their performance during the first half.

"“We played well in the first half, controlling the game well,” Koeman said. “We had a huge opportunity to ahead in the score and it was exactly the opposite. The details heavily influenced the final result and it’s totally different starting 1-0 than 0-1.”Source: Sport"

He also made sure to once again reiterate that they are not at a level to compete with the best sides in Europe but are getting closer as demonstrated against Madrid.

Koeman was rather upset about Dest’s miss but it’s a symptom of Barcelona’s issues all season. Dest is a right back being used as an emergency winger as the team lacks options up front.

Memphis lost the ball in the opener and Ansu Fati is still recovering from his injury. Coutinho is a shell of his former self and Luuk de Jong does not have the level to play at Barcelona. The lone bright spot was Aguero and for Barcelona’s sake, they hope his goal is a sign of things to come.

Playing a good half is not enough for a club the size of Barcelona. The loss leaves them in ninth place, five points behind Real Madrid.

Time is running out for Barcelona and for Koeman to turn things around. It does not appear president Joan Laporta is going to sack him anytime soon. It’s a gamble that, for Laporta’s sake, better pay off.

There is little time to mourn the loss as Barcelona have a game midweek against seventh place Rayo Vallecano. Ousmane Dembélé could make his season debut as he comes back from his injury.