3 Things We Learned: FC Barcelona vs SD Eibar

Barcelona won 4-2 against a determined Eibar side. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win the league title.

Issues 

This match highlighted issues that have affected the Catalans throughout the season, but this game went against the norm. The fact that the Catalans were playing a full-strength team from the start allowed them to claw their way back into the game. However, in other games this season they haven’t had that strength to rely on.

Losses against Deportivo and Málaga are examples of similar matches which didn’t have the same outcome. They lost 2-1 and 2-0 to those teams, and these were the only losses in the league in 2017. A win in either would have given them the three points needed to catch Real Madrid.

In these two games, as well as the Eibar match, there were simple defensive mistakes which could have been avoided. Against Deportivo, they failed to deal with multiple corners, and with one of them they failed to deal with the second ball as well. In the Málaga match they got caught out by balls over the top of the defence which took advantage of poor defensive positioning. The issue against Eibar was the lack of pressure on the ball and poor marking at the back post.

When Barça are able to play their strongest eleven, they can get away with these defensive issues because their attack can bail them out with the sheer amount of chances that they create. However, when they rotate the squad, they are less cohesive as an attacking unit, so there is less of a difference between them and the opposition. Therefore, they ended up losing games against opposition which they should have easily beaten.

This issue could be solved by time because the summer signings have had time to settle in to the team.

Luis Suárez

Suárez missed plenty of easy chances in this match which is hopefully just an anomaly rather than the start of a poor run of form. The reason this is so important is because the Copa del Rey final against Alavés is under a week away. He needs to be in top form against these. They are defensively solid and give the opposition few clear-cut chances.

He still managed to score, against Eibar, after Paco Alcacer flicked on a corner, but it was harder to miss. It was worrying how many 1v1s he missed. He fired one wide, and had two saved. These were chances that he would usually put away with ease.

The Uruguayan striker does have a weird habit of having matches where he struggles with the basics, but pulls off the sublime with ease. Therefore, this match is most likely just one of his off days. He doesn’t deserve much criticism for this performance because he has proven to be consistent during his time at Barcelona, and has turned up in plenty of big matches.

Last season was a remarkable year for him as he won the Pichichi trophy. He scored a total of 59 goals in 53 games in all competitions. This year he scored 37 in 51, so there was less of a return, and he also had less assists with 20 rather than 26 in all competitions. However, these are still impressive numbers and last year should be seen as a rarity. This season has proved that he is a remarkable striker, and is still one of the best in the world due to his consistency. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him have an excellent performance in the final because of his calibre in big games.

Lionel Messi

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This wasn’t the Argentine’s best game in front of goal, but he still scored twice with his second being sublime. He was similar to Suárez in that he missed a few clear-cut chances. Nonetheless, he still dominated the game. At the start of the second half he chipped wide, and he missed a penalty in the same half. In a clear sign of his mental strength, Messi didn’t shy away from the responsibility when Neymar won another penalty. He was lucky because Yoel guessed that he would go the same way and even got a hand to it, but there was too much power on it. This wasn’t how he wanted to end the game or his league season, though.

In the 92nd minute he picked up the ball in a deep position and proceeded to glide past five players with rapid acceleration and smart body movement. He then slotted the ball past the goalkeeper into the corner to top off his performance.

This was another game in which the little Argentine was integral in dragging Barcelona through. Unfortunately, he has been forced to do this too many times this season as the team have relied on him an unsafe amount. One of the key factors for potential success next season will be bringing balance to the team, so they rely less on Messi.