La Liga
Resilient Valencia Hold Barcelona To A Draw
Lapses in defense, stubborn defense, a bit of magic and frustration were all on display at the Mestella on Sunday as Barcelona dropped two more points making it a total of nine in one week. Valencia got off to a flyer as Ezequiel Garay tapped home in the first minute thanks to some dreadful Barcelona defending from a corner. But Barça responded well. They passed the ball around patiently and a quick passing move between Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez ended up in the back of the net after a deft finish from the former. The 23rd minute equalizer brought confidence into Ernesto Valverde’s side as they pushed for one more goal.
Sadly there would be no more goals as a well organized Valencia back line held on for dear life and came away with a point at home.
What Went Wrong
Valencia seemed far less superior to their opponents after the equalizer. But they still managed to keep them at bay. They threatened sporadically on the break but to no avail. And as for Barcelona, though they constantly pegged Valencia back, there was no end product.
Marcelino’s Adaptiveness
Marcelino García had done his homework and he instructed his players perfectly on how to defend. Though Alba was a constant menace on the left flank, Los Che managed to cut his passing channels inside. Phillipe Coutinho was unable to find as much much space as he would have liked either. Suarez made some good movements but lost the ball a lot.Thomas Vermaelen and Gerard Piqué weren’t really tested in the second period. Though it was those 2 who were at fault for Valencia’s opener. Marcelino did really well to bring off the tired legs in the second half. Although what’s interesting is he did so without removing the attacking presence in the team. This made sure that the home side could keep up the hard work in defense and have a man up front in Rodrigo should a counterattacking opportunity present itself.
Baffled Valverde
Valverde however did not seem to know what he should do in order to get the win. Even though many of the players seemed tired he did not make a substitution till as late as the 84th minute. This was only worsened by the fact that most of the players were already fatigued courtesy of that hard fixture at Wembley in midweek. The late subs meant there was not enough time to make an impact. Valverde and his side have a lot to improve upon.
Tremendous Tasks Ahead
Going winless in four straight games means there is a lot of work left to be done for the Catalans. This draw means that Sevilla will be heading into the international break at the top of the La Liga standings. They sit one point ahead of second placed Barcelona. Valencia can also take a lot of positives from this game and they will have to put in a lot of work as well to climb up the table. Both teams have great tasks ahead.
Photo credit to inanews via Flickr
