It was not meant to be for Barcelona towards Atletico Madrid final night time at Montjuic.
The Catalans put up a valiant struggle and performed like true winners however simply couldn’t get previous the end line as they slumped to a 3rd straight defeat at house.
Pedri opened the scoring for Barcelona within the opening half and gifted his aspect the lead heading into half-time. Nevertheless, Atletico Madrid capitalised on their one likelihood 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 could be merciless
Barcelona had been punished by Atletico Madrid. (Picture by Alex Caparros/Getty Photographs)
Barcelona loved the brilliant aspect of soccer initially of the season and had been thought of one in all Europe’s most daunting sides because the assault barely missed any likelihood 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 all world soccer’s only ahead trios.
Abruptly, 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 web.
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 sport they misplaced just because they might not end their probabilities.
Final night time, as soon as extra, Barcelona had been the higher aspect by far however merely had been unfortunate to drop three factors.
Hansi Flick’s ways had been on level towards Atletico Madrid as Barcelona dominated the sport to the purpose it appeared one-sided within the first half.
They had been those creating probabilities extra frequently and of higher high quality and will have been no less than three targets clear by the half-time mark.
After the break, their dominance largely continued and so they created likelihood after likelihood just for every thing to go begging. Two moments for the Colchoneros, ultimately, noticed the end result slip away from them.
The defeat final night time can solely be known as undeserved and unfortunate, and it’s clear that soccer generally could be very merciless.
Pedri’s night time of wizardry
Pedri opened the scoring for Barcelona. (Picture by David Ramos/Getty Photographs)
No matter the victo and the way the end result skews the opinion on an in any other case lovely show from Barcelona, it’s clear that Pedri deserves his flowers for what was one in all 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 night time could be an understatement.
For starters, he was the one Barcelona participant who managed to attain previous Jan Oblak on what was an ideal night time for the Atletico Madrid shot-stopper.
Aside from his opening aim, nonetheless, he was elegant in each side 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 acquired 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 end result might go down in a foul gentle for the membership, however there’s a silver lining for positive in Pedri’s sensational displaying.
Midway by means of and nowhere shut
Barcelona have squandered their lead. (Picture by Alex Caparros/Getty Photographs)
19 video games down, 19 extra to go. Barcelona are completely midway by means 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 beneath 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 hunch in kind and so they have now properly and actually given up their lead on the prime.
As soon as near 9 factors clear on the prime, they’re now in second place and by a long way. Final night time’s defeat comes as an enormous blow to their marketing campaign and palms 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 also have a sport in hand to probably prolong 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 sport in hand scheduled for the primary week of January.
Barcelona might thus be 5 factors behind the second-placed workforce come their subsequent sport in La Liga.
Furthermore, the gutting last-minute defeat final night time is the worst doable strategy to log off from 2024. One can hope for higher luck after Christmas however the possibilities of a comeback now not seem as easy.