Barcelona managed to close the gap with Atletico Madrid to two points yet again after their win against Osasuna however, that is subject to change considering how the Madrid derby goes tonight.
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The team held their own against a very stubborn Osasuna side who were not looking to let the Blaugrana score under any circumstances.
The Catalans had to be patient to take their chances but they did find the back of the net twice to take the win. With this win, they have put immense pressure on the league leaders who will now have to win their match against derby rivals, Real Madrid.
Should Atletico fail to produce a win, they will have only one game in hand and the lead could drop from eight points to five points.
That would be highly profitable for Ronald Koeman‘s team as they still have a game left against the leaders and a win would close the gap further.
This might be the first time Barcelona fans will be actively supporting Madrid however, leaving that aside, let’s take a look at three main talking points from their victory over Osasuna.
#1 Barcelona put in a very professional performance.
Let’s get this fact out of the way first, Barcelona should not have to struggle against a team like Osasuna. However, let’s not forget that the team played a hard-fought cup match in the mid-week. This meant that most of their players were tired while their opponents had fresh legs and could hit them hard on the counter. That is exactly what Osasuna had planned as well, defending in number and then a speedy counterattack to win the game. However, the Catalans put on a solid performance and it was one of their most professionals ones yet. Oscar Mingueza was solid at the back however, Marc-Andre ter Stegen was the one who saved the day by performing a few brilliant saves. He also stopped a lot of crosses from reaching anyone in the box.
#2 Barcelona’s youngsters shows us how it’s done.
Ansu Fati has been injured for a long time now however, Ilaix Moriba showed us that Barcelona have other young talents as well. The 18-year-old has played only 3 games in La Liga but has already scored a goal and provided two assists. He scored a fantastic goal against Osasuna, a brilliant with his weak foot was just enough to beat Sergio Herrera and find the back of the net. Along with Morbia, Pedri once again put in a good performance and his presence really impacts the end product of the match. He has been one of the stand-out players for the Blaugrana all season and he did not disappoint last night either.
#3 Lionel Messi helps the team even if he doesn’t score.
Barcelona’s most important player was far from his best against Osasuna. It was noticeable that he was a bit tired however, he was a constant threat for the defense who were paying too much attention on him rather than looking at the plays he could make through his surroundings. Messi did just that, he did not get on the scoreboard himself but managed to give two assists and help his team break the stubborn Osasuna defense. It was a tough task to break the basically nine men defense but his six key passes made sure that the Catalans took all three points home.
Do you think Barcelona are back in the title race?