3 Things We Learned: FC Barcelona vs Real Sociedad

Barcelona out-fought La Real to win 3-2 at Camp Nou in an entertaining game.

Paco Alcácer

It seems like playing the Spanish striker on the wing has given him a new lease of life. The games in which he was the focal point of the attack brought little return, but he has thrived in the few games he has played on the wing. This is important for the upcoming games in the league because Neymar is suspended, so one of the squad players has to step up and fill the void.

Not only did he score a nice two touch finish, but he was also heavily involved in the fluid play around the area. In previous games he looked sluggish, but he seemed at ease and worked well with Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi.

His predatory striker instincts and work rate mean he is an excellent option for the player with the ball due to his ability to find space. The opposition had to focus on Messi and Suárez due to them being the main threats. Therefore, he had plenty of space to use, and Messi’s ability on the ball meant he often found him.

The next month is a pivotal part of Barcelona’s season because it is the conclusion of a tough campaign. Therefore, having an extra goal threat in these important matches gives Barcelona an extra edge to their attacking. It also means Luis Enrique may be able to trust Alcácer as the sole striker if he keeps impressing. This would allow him to rest Suárez, who is at risk of burnout due to the sheer amount of games he has played.

Crucial Win

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The defending was poor in this match, but the fact that they won overshadows this. They needed a positive result because of the tough week that is ahead them. It was also important that they won because of the nature of Real Madrid’s win earlier in the day. Anything but a win would have given Real a mental advantage going in to the El Clásico next weekend.

They needed to keep up the pressure on Real Madrid because there is a chance that they could get a positive result against them. A win would put them level on points, but Los Blancos have a game in hand. However, keeping close to them would allow the Catalans to take advantage of any potential slip-ups.

Real Sociedad are a tough opponent as well because they are challenging for the top six places. They dominated in the reverse fixture, and played well over two legs in the Copa del Rey, so they certainly weren’t easy by any means.

There are issues that need to be addressed such as the poor defending when they have four at the back as well as the dependence on Messi, which will be discussed below. However, La Real were a tough opponent at a tough time in the season, so this was a well deserved win.

Messidependence

Without Neymar, Barcelona are dangerously reliant on the little Argentine. He is the main creative hub as well as the main goal threat. It could be argued that Barça have always been somewhat dependent on him to work his magic. Nonetheless, it seems that everything has to go through him. Without him, there is little spark to the team unless Neymar picks up the burden.

This is the problem of focusing the style on the individual creativity of the front three rather than providing a platform through the team, which the trio could harness. The midfield is focused on providing service to M-S-N who then create and finish the chances. It would be beneficial for the team if the midfield could independently increase the amount of chances they create. This would mean that Messi would be on the end of chances along with Suárez.

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The added chance creation would benefit the team because in games without Neymar they wouldn’t be relying solely on Messi’s creativity. Also, with Neymar in the team, they would have the potential to dominate matches due to the variety of attacking threats.

Looking at Real Madrid is an interesting comparison because Cristiano Ronaldo has a smaller influence on the team, but he is always in the dangerous situations. The match against Bayern Munich was a great example of this. Whereas, Messi is the conduit which everything goes through, which can become a huge burden in big games.

This is one of the few negatives of the style of play that Enrique brought in. He focused on getting the best out of his most talented players by using them as a focal point, but it can make the team one-dimensional at times.