BarcelonaThe thrashing and elimination against Real Madrid have shaken Barça. The white correction at Camp Nou, with people leaving early, was a bath in reality. Eliminated from the Champions League and the Europa League just getting started, Xavi’s side are licking their wounds with a solid lead in the League and a great performance in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, but the capital stumble in the Copa once again raises uncomfortable questions in the short and, above all, in the medium term.
Why did the team fade in the second half?
Barça dominated the first half, but lacked success in the finish (11 shots, 5 between the three posts and no goals in the whole match). This allowed Madrid to execute their plan perfectly: get out of the first 45 minutes unscathed and bite after the break. After passing through the dressing room tunnel, Carlo Ancelotti’s men advanced lines and their pressure was much more ferocious and effective.
Barça was unable to control the match, penalized by its own mistakes, in the face of Madrid’s aggression. In the second half, the Blaugrana lost possession (45-55%), while in the first they had taken it with solvency (59-41%). The duel was split in two, a scenario that benefits white much more. Benzema scored four times on goal – once, the penalty – and scored three goals. Lewandowski was only able to connect one shot between the three posts, the one from the action that ends in the counterattack of the first Madrid goal. “We have forgiven and Madrid not”, reasoned Xavi, in a speech lacking self-criticism.
Had the results covered up Barça’s lack of play?
In the first leg at the Bernabéu (0-1), Barça gave up the ball (35% possession) and trusted everything to the defense. A survival script that contradicts Xavi’s style book. On Wednesday, at the Camp Nou, he tried to be the protagonist, but only came out in the first half. In Madrid, Blaugrana’s solidity took the white team by the throat. Ancelotti’s team failed to get a shot on goal: 13 shots, of which 6 went wide and 7 were rejected by the defense. On the other hand, on Wednesday they shot less (9), but much more clearly: 7 between the three posts.
While Marcos Alonso stood out at the Bernabéu, he put in a disappointing performance at the Camp Nou: he was unable to stop Rodrygo on the counter-attack from 0-1. In the clean sheet, the Madrid player was the second defender who completed the most rejections (9), only surpassed by Kounde (11). Wednesday Alonso did not complete a single rejection and the French, only four. The former defender blue, whose contract Barça has extended for another year, was replaced by Eric. Martorell’s also does not convince Xavi: he is not a winner of duels, especially aerial ones. That’s why he’s looking for a fit as a pivot. Christensen was missed.
How to solve the lack of wardrobe fund?
Barça has a wardrobe fund problem. This also conditions the right-back: the Vinícius factor moves Araujo to the wing and loses force in the center of the defense. Core absences were also noticeable in midfield and forward. In the last League classic, in which the Blaugrana came back (2-1), Frenkie de Jong was the player who came into contact with the ball the most (100 times), he had a 94% success rate pass and served five key passes (which put teammates at an advantage to create a chance).
That day Xavi also didn’t have Pedri, and replaced the fourth midfielder by having Roberto play at the start and, in the second half, Kessie. The play cost him: they were the authors of the two Blaugrana goals. On the other hand, on Wednesday, without Pedri or de Jong, both the Catalan and the Ivorian played from the start. The decisive loss of the canary, added to that of the ex-Ajax, was not resolved with Roberto and Kessie playing together. Pablo Torre, apart from the aforementioned players, was the only midfielder available on the bench. “We have to learn from this defeat and improve, not only for the next games,” said the sporting director, Jordi Cruyff.
Can the game be improved with this template?
The lack of talent that Xavi sees in his squad is summed up in the coach’s insistence last summer to sign Bernardo Silva. With the arrival of the Portuguese ruled out, the coach now wants the incorporation of Gündogan, a starter at City. The advantage is that the contract ends. The disadvantages: Barça is stuck by the fair play and he is 32 years old. With regard to Messi’s return, also pending the financial situation, the coach imagines him strengthening the midfield.
Xavi is the main person responsible for the team’s game, which has improved significantly at the stroke of a lever, but he considers that there is a lack of talent. Also in the front. On Wednesday, Lewandowski only touched 7 balls in the entire second half. Raphinha has stepped up to take over from Dembélé, and while he has performed against lower-profile opponents, he still disappoints in the big matches. The Brazilian only completed one of the six dribbles he attempted and that was defended by Camavinga, a converted midfielder. Instead, Vinícius tried less and was more successful: three dribbles, all three fruitful (one led to Kessie’s penalty). Raphinha was the player with the most turnovers (23).
Why does the team not give him to compete against the big rivals?
The entry of Ansu and Ferran also did not improve a Barça that had not conceded four goals from Madrid at the stadium since 1963. The good dynamics in the League and the great performance in the Supercopa final have made us imagine a Barça that is not yet. Unlike Madrid, the Blaugrana team is putting its pieces together, while the whites maintain, with tweaks, a successful and experienced block in play-offs.
Barça still lacks the maturity and patience to avoid falling into the trap of broken, back-and-forth games. Knowing how to press and attack together, like in the first half, and when things go wrong, knowing how to find the sufficient break. Pedri seems to be the only footballer capable of doing so, while Madrid has in the veterans Modric and Kroos – also in Benzema – two extremely gifted players in this regard.