Barcelona secure third La Liga clean sheet with Villarreal win

Barcelona largely held Villarreal at arm’s length as they secured a 2-0 victory at Camp Nou.

Ending the two-game winless run in the league was important for Barcelona in order to regain top position and take advantage of other teams dropping points, but the clean sheet was crucial. The second matchday against Real Valladolid, all the way back in August, was the last time the Catalans kept a clean sheet in the league, which highlights the scale of the defensive problems they have had.

19 goals conceded in 13 games prior to Villarreal was hugely worrying and not sustainable even though they had scored 35 at that point. Grinding out wins is a key part of league title-winning campaigns in order to win when the team isn’t playing well rather than just simply outscoring the opposition. Villarreal aren’t the most threatening side going forwards because they had only averaged a goal a game in the league prior to playing Barcelona, but it’s still a positive nonetheless.

Against PSV, even Marc-Andre ter Stegen looked nervy with his passing at times, which could have just been due to a rare off game for him, however, it could also be down to lack of confidence in his defensive unit. Therefore, rebuilding that trust is pivotal due to how involved the German is and the defenders are in the build-up phase. Risks are needed in possession to play through the opposition and ensure ball progression up the pitch, which requires confidence in the other players.

Keeping Villarreal out will have certainly helped in that regard. The challenge will be to maintain this in the next few league games where they face Espanyol, Levante, Celta Vigo and Getafe. None of these sides are in the top six, but Barcelona’s issues have been mostly against weaker sides as they have picked up 11 out of a possible 15 points against the teams in the European places. Winning these upcoming games as well as getting clean sheets will bring confidence in Ernesto Valverde’s methods and help create a solid defensive platform from which to build from.

Nelson Semedo and Clement Lenglet are both benefitting from injuries to other players to get consistent playing time. This is helping to build understanding between the players, although there is still a way to go as shown by the miscommunication between Lenglet and Ter Stegen when Gerard Moreno hit the post. However, Semedo and Ousmane Dembele’s burgeoning partnership down the right-wing is hugely promising.

Gerard Pique deserves huge credit for a disciplined performance in which he didn’t put a foot wrong as well as scoring to pull Barcelona ahead. He has certainly had his fair share of disappointing displays this season, but this was a promising sign and it’s no surprise the team followed his example due to him being the most experienced defender at the club.