Barcelona managed to avoid a potential ‘banana skin’ against bottom placed Granada with a 1-0 win.
Rafinha the Saviour
The Brazilian came to the aid of Barça when they needed someone to pull them through what should have been an easy game. In terms of chances, it was one-sided, but Barcelona just couldn’t score. Thankfully Rafinha seems to have found his scoring boots this season with five goals from six shots on target. A draw against these opponents would have definitely been seen as an embarrassing result, and at the end of the season each three points is as valuable as the other. Rafinha finally seems to be fulfilling the potential that everyone believed he had when he first came through the ranks. Hopefully he continues this form throughout this season because contributions from players just outside the first team like him are vital to Barcelona’s success.
Lack of Sergio Busquets
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This match showed how much Barça miss Busquets when he isn’t playing. When the team is playing at their best it’s sometimes hard to see what impact he can have on such a well-oiled machine. However, he is the oil which keeps the machine going without a hitch. Not only he significantly improve the team defensively, but also offensively. He cuts out the danger while at the same time offering himself as an option to either recycle the ball or move it quickly from one side to another in order to disjoint the opposition and create overlaps using the fullbacks. His footballing intelligence is remarkable, and this allows him to thrive in his unique role. It’s hard to say whether he is more important to the team than Lionel Messi because of the different qualities they bring, but in tandem they make Barcelona great and they embody the style of play the club is so proud of. The problem for Barça is finding someone who can bring some of his qualities to the team when Busquets needs a rest. If he gets a long-term injury then Barcelona’s season will be over, so hopefully he is able to avoid this.
Getting the Result
Even though it was a disappointing and uninspiring display in some regards, which surprised many people including myself, they still got three points. This is what matters most at the end of the day, and keeping the momentum going is key. Luis Enrique did a lot of squad rotation for this match as well, so it’s good to see the rest of the squad stepping up when needed. The Catalans also managed to keep a clean sheet which means they have had three in their last five games. This is impressive considering how many they were conceding at the beginning of the season. Some of this has to be attributed to Samuel Umtiti settling in quickly, and Javier Mascherano regaining his form.
This result is also important when considering the wider picture because Sevilla and Villarreal both dropped points. It also keeps pressure on Real Madrid at the top in order to stop them from opening a gap on everyone else, and the win moved Barcelona up to second. There is also the upcoming schedule to consider with Manchester City and Sevilla being the next opponents. These games are both away from home, so this result doesn’t look too bad when put in context.