3 Things We Learned: Atlético Madrid vs FC Barcelona

Barcelona go into the second leg with a 2-1 lead after a difficult game in the Vicente Calderón.

Clinical Finishing

Both goals for Barça were excellent individual strikes. Luis Suárez dribbled around Diego Godín near the halfway line, then flicked the ball past Stefan Savić while running around the other side of him, before collecting the ball again and calming finishing past Miguel Moyà. It was a fantastic goal, which silenced the Vicente Calderón early on.

Lionel Messi decided he could do one better when he picked the ball up on the edge of the box with a yard more space than usual. The extra space he had allowed him to fire off an absolute rocket of a shot which hit the post on its way in. The goals were tough chances which were made to look easy by the two of them, and they are a representation of the quality that is needed to beat Atlético away from home.

Enrique’s Tweaking

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The Catalans dominated the first half, and it seemed like another forty-five minutes similar to that one could signal the end of the tie already. However, Atletico came out in the second half rejuvenated by Diego Simeone, which was a factor in the end result, but Luis Enrique’s tinkering with the midfield hindered Barcelona significantly. Firstly, he took off Ivan Rakitić for Denis Suárez. This was a mistake because they needed Rakitić’s energy to help break down opposition attacks as Atleti put the pressure on. Enrique then decided to take off André Gomes for Rafinha, which reduced Barcelona’s control on the game because Gomes is a great combination of technique and physicality, and that was helping the team in the midfield battle. Suárez and Rafinha are great players, but it wasn’t the right move to bring them on.

Granted, it is important that players are rotated, as Enrique has highlighted in his press conferences, in order to avoid fatigue. But this shouldn’t come at the expense of nearly throwing away a lead in a crucial game for their season. Bringing on Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal would have been better substitutions to make. Turan could have asserted his influence on the game through his experience and robustness. Bringing on Vidal would have given the Catalans an extra counter-attacking threat through the pace and width he provides. This would have allowed him to move Sergi Roberto into midfield due to his versatility.

Next: Atlético Madrid vs FC Barcelona Player Ratings

Important Result

This way a key result for their season so far. The Vicente Calderón is one of the hardest stadiums to get a result from in Spain. They had to do this without two key players: Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. In terms of that context, it’s a remarkable result. The main players showed their quality, and the rest of the squad stepped up to the occasion. Samuel Umtiti deserves a mention for his assured performance alongside Gerard Piqué, and the pressure didn’t seem to faze him at all.

The draw against Real Betis suggested a minor wobble could be on the way, but this result banished them suggestions. This is a tough month of fixtures for the Catalans. Therefore, more performances like this one are needed in the upcoming games. The return of Busquets and Iniesta will be a much-needed boost for the team. Both should be back within the next few weeks. However, the team is coping well without them, currently.