takeaways

It was not meant to be for Barcelona final evening at Montjuic.

The Catalans put up a valiant battle and performed like true winners however simply couldn’t get previous the end line as they slumped to a 3rd straight defeat at residence.

Pedri opened the scoring for Barcelona within the opening half and gifted his aspect the lead heading into half-time. Nonetheless, Atletico Madrid capitalised on their one probability to degree the scores after the break earlier than discovering a late winner within the dying seconds of the sport.

Barça Common brings you three speaking factors from the workforce’s defeat to Los Rojiblancos.

Soccer might be merciless

Barcelona loved the brilliant aspect of soccer in the beginning of the season and have been thought of one in every of Europe’s most daunting sides because the assault barely missed any probability to attain.

The forwards led the workforce from the entrance, changing their probabilities and overperforming their xG time and time once more to show themselves as one in every of world soccer’s only ahead trios.

Hastily, nonetheless, the identical attacking division has turned out to be their largest bane as they merely don’t appear to have the ability to deposit the ball into the again of the online.

Over the previous few video games, the Catalans have been poor in entrance of aim and the defeat to Leganes was the right instance of a recreation they misplaced just because they may not end their probabilities.

Final evening, as soon as extra, Barcelona have been the higher aspect by far however merely have been unfortunate to drop three factors.

Hansi Flick’s ways have been on level towards Atletico Madrid as Barcelona dominated the sport to the purpose it appeared one-sided within the first half.

They have been those creating probabilities extra repeatedly and of higher high quality and will have been at the very least three targets clear by the half-time mark.

After the break, their dominance largely continued and so they created probability after probability just for every thing to go begging. Two moments for the Colchoneros, in the long run, noticed the outcome slip away from them.

The defeat final evening can solely be referred to as undeserved and unfortunate, and it’s clear that soccer generally might be very merciless.

Pedri’s evening of wizardry

Regardless of the victo and the way the outcome skews the opinion on an in any other case stunning show from Barcelona, it’s clear that Pedri deserves his flowers for what was one in every of his best-ever showings within the Blaugrana colors.

The Canary Islander participated towards Los Rojiblancos from begin to end, and to name him the workforce’s most influential participant on the evening could be an understatement.

For starters, he was the one Barcelona participant who managed to attain previous Jan Oblak on what was an ideal evening for the Atletico Madrid shot-stopper.

Other than his opening aim, nonetheless, he was chic in each facet of the sport all through the 90 minutes.

Pedri performed the opening half as a part of the double pivot alongside Marc Casado and helped Barcelona dominate the midfield battle and keep possession with ease.

His environment friendly ball circulation and talent to decide on the fitting moments to push ahead helped the Catalans open the guests’ defence with ease and his high quality was seen each time he obtained on the ball.

After the break, he was shifted quickly into the attacking midfield function and shone even brighter within the place. Free from defensive duties, he was in a position to orchestrate the assault instantly and break the defence together with his pinpoint passes.

The outcome might go down in a nasty gentle for the membership,  however there’s a silver lining for positive in Pedri’s sensational displaying.

Midway by way of and nowhere shut

19 video games down, 19 extra to go. Barcelona are completely midway by way of the La Liga marketing campaign and their begin to the season has been nowhere near what was anticipated.

Regardless of a flying preliminary spell below Hansi Flick, the Blaugrana have fallen flat on their face in latest weeks. Poor luck and poor high quality in equal measure are behind the droop in type and so they have now properly and really given up their lead on the high.

As soon as near 9 factors clear on the high, they’re now in second place and by a ways. Final evening’s defeat comes as an enormous blow to their marketing campaign and fingers Los Rojiblancos a sizeable lead.

Heading into the second half of the season, the Catalans are on 38 factors, three factors behind Atletico Madrid who actually have a recreation in hand to doubtlessly lengthen their result in six factors.

Actual Madrid, in the meantime, can cross Barcelona and attain 40 factors tonight and might pull 5 factors clear in the event that they win their recreation in hand scheduled for the primary week of January.

Barcelona might thus be 5 factors behind the second-placed workforce come their subsequent recreation in La Liga.

Furthermore, the gutting last-minute defeat final evening is the worst potential strategy to log out from 2024. One can hope for higher luck after Christmas however the probabilities of a comeback not seem as easy.