Barcelona make a last-gasp comeback to secure a 2-2 draw
Barcelona undeservedly took a point at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán against Sevilla. But Los Rojiblancos were clearly the better team, at least for 85 minutes of play. But Lionel Messi broke the hearts of thousands of Sevilla supporters with his magic.
But the question : Why did Messi need to intervene when Ernesto Valverde had already fielded a strong, experienced starting lineup? The answer is very simple, casual mistakes in defence by Gerard Piqué and Samuel Umtiti.
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Barça have not had defensive problems ever since Samuel Umtiti broke into the first-team. The Frenchman stabilised the defence, and canceled out Piqué’s eccentricity with his calmness and composure.
But the centre-back pairing made horrendous mistakes at the back against Sevilla, giving confidence to the likes of Franco Vázquez and Joaquim Correa. The first goal was due to poor marking, while the second goal was due to an erroneous tackle.
This shows that international games can take a toll on players. Piqué started in the 6-1 hiding of Argentine while Umtiti was paired with Raphaël Varane in defence against Colombia, which France lost 3-2.
As the season enters its business end, Ernesto Valverde should consider using the backup centre-back pairing of Thomas Vermaelen and Yerry Mina more often. They can do better, as fresh players, than a jaded Piqué and Umtiti.
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Also, Marc Cucurella should get a promotion to the first-team squad due to Lucas Digne’s injury. The youngster can back up Jordi Alba, who needs rest, especially considering that he is the first-choice left-back for Spain.