Copa del Rey: Barcelona slump to 2-0 defeat to Sevilla in first leg

Barcelona fielded a very weak lineup against Sevilla

Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde made some very questionable selection choices in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Sevilla at the Sánchez Pizjuán. Ultimately, the second-string side were dominated by Sevilla and eventually fell to a 2-0 defeat.

In a puzzling decision, Kevin-Prince Boateng started the match having signed for the club just 24 hours earlier, with Nélson Semedo starring as left-back. Moreover, Carles Aleñá played without a fixed position while Philippe Coutinho somehow found a spot on the bench.

The entire match was scruffy, with both sides pressing high and making frequent tackles. Barça had uncharacteristically low possession, while the team could not muster a single shot on target till the second-half. It was a poor performance.

In the first-half, Sevilla had the bulk of the chances but Barça had the best one. Arthur’s defence splitting through ball found Malcom in immense amounts of space. The Brazilian forward went past Sevilla goalkeeper Juan Soriano but could only hit the side-netting.

Sevilla striker Wissam Ben Yedder had a host of opportunities towards the end of the first-half, but failed to convert on each occasion. In the first, the French forward dribbled past 3 Barça players in the box but his shot blazed over the bar.

Sergio Escudero also put him through on goal, but Jasper Cillessen made a brilliant save at the near post to deny the Andalusians the lead. Ben Yedder went for a crowd-pleaser with another one, attempting an overhead kick off a cross from captain Jesús Navas.

But Los Nervionsenses finally took the lead in the 58th minute, as Quincy Promes put in a perfect ball to find Pablo Sarabia at the back post. The Spaniard scored with a half-volley, with Cillessen wrong-footed, and out-of-position Nélson Semedo caught napping.

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Valverde replied with the introduction of superstars Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho, in place of the underwhelming Kevin-Prince Boateng and Malcom. Coutinho had a golden opportunity to equalise, but he failed to hit the target from a very comfortable position.

Coutinho was also involved in Sevilla’s second goal as he lost possession after the ball got stuck in his feet. The counter-attack was swift, and ended in yet another cross to the back post. But this time, it was Wissam Ben Yedder to make up for his previous misses and extend the lead.

In the end, neither Suárez nor Coutinho could make a significant impact. Even the introduction of Jordi Alba could not galvanise an dead Barça side. Carles Aleñá was extremely poor, along with Clément Lenglet and Malcom.

Kevin-Prince Boateng had a poor debut, like his fellow loanee Jeison Murillo. The Ghana international was involved in some decent hold-up play but spent his time on the pitch trying to strike an understanding with his teammates and applauding their efforts.

Sergio Busquets’ absence was sorely missed, as Ivan Rakitić simply failed to act as a proper holding midfielder. Lionel Messi will need to keep his good record against Sevilla going in the second leg at the Camp Nou if Barça are to go through to the semi-finals.

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Ernesto Valverde simply failed with his rotation, as players in unfamiliar positions struggled to fit in and failed to understand each other. The distribution channel was disturbed, and the attackers failed to make threatening runs. Now, Barcelona will need to put on a rescue act in the home leg.

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