Barca faced Villarreal at the Camp Nou in the 1st leg of the Copa del Ray. As is with Villarreal, they made it a tough game, and made Barca work hard for the advantage. Here are a few observations from the game.
1) Barca's defense seems to be conceding plenty of goals in recent matches
Take nothing away from the teams Barca was playing because all of them were top quality, high intensity, and goal scoring teams. That being said we have now conceded 7 goals in the past 4 games. 2 goals away against Atletico Madrid, 2 at home against Villarreal, another 2 away against Athletic Bilbao, and finally, Villarreal again with a single goal at the Camp Nou. Despite all this Barca seems to be defending well as a unit and down to each individual. Pique is in the form of his career, Matthieu has just come back from injury, but has been superb so far. Mascherano needs no introduction, and Bartra has hasn't even played many games, allowing him to be fresh and eager to play. In addition, Thomas Vermaelen is still out and will be returning from injury later this month, hopefully to make his debut and remain injury free. February is upon us and the important games are right around the corner; the defense must improve if we are to win titles.
2) Ter Stegen is prone to making silly mistakes.
From a closer angle, it seemed Ter Stegen should have caught Trigueros' effort. Maybe it was too hot to handle, or he simply didn't see it in time, Ter Stegen has made a few blunder over his career. He is still young, and without doubt will improve over time, but he needs to do so quickly. Champions League goalkeepers cannot afford to make silly mistakes, ones that can decide the tie. On a side note, we should also mention his brilliant save.
3) Neymar seems a bit off.
Neymar had an abysmal game. He was quiet all night, made a very little impression on the game, and missed a penalty as well. He's played almost every game since the beginning of the season, and is starting to look tired. Being man marked and continuously fouled through the entire 90 minutes didn't help matters much. He lost the ball often and looked a bit predictable. Even in the game against Bilbao, he missed a few easy chances. With the next game in the league being Levante, Lucho would do well to rest Neymar. Pedro can be an able replacement for the next few games. An injury to Neymar could have very negative consequences.
4) Luis Suarez continues to become an important part of the Barcelona team.
Luisito bagged yet another assist. His dogged persistence and never say die attitude afforded him the ball off Mussachio, who made a deadly error. Suarez dribbled towards goal, squared it to Messi, and Barca were on their way. Suarez was also heavily involved in Iniesta's goal, providing distraction as Don Andres stuck the ball into the back of the net. Suarez's performances are starting to improve game by game, though he still seems unable, and unlucky to score. He is still adapting to Barca's style of play, so it may take a bit more time. However, once Suarez start scoring, Europe beware.
5) Javier Mascherano is AWESOME.
If you didn't know this already, listen well now. Masche is amazing. El Jefecito was everywhere on the pitch vs Villarreal on Wednesday. With a couple of world class tackles, outstanding positioning, impeccable passing, and snuffing out counterattacks, Masche was easily my man of the match, followed closely by Suarez, then Messi. Being a defender myself, I have learned to especially appreciate the defensive part of the game; and I can tell you right now that there is no defensive player I enjoy watching as much as I enjoy watching Masche play. He had yet another top class performance against a quality opponent. A round of applause for our captain-without-the-armband.
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