Barcelona are definitely back in business after a beautiful performance away from home against Real Sociedad.
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The Catalans were dominant throughout the game and although the Txuri-Urdin did have a few chances early on, they were not fazed at all and showed us why we should not count them out of the title race yet.
6-1 was the final score of the night however, the scoreline could have been even bigger and Ousmane Dembele was unlucky to have one of his goals ruled out due to offside. The Blaugrana were a solid unit and the understanding between the players was incredible to watch. Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquet’s assists, in particular, showed us that these players are all on the same wavelength and understand each other’s positions quite well.
With this win, Barcelona are now unbeaten in 18 La Liga games. This is quite a run for Ronald Koeman and his men and they are just four points behind Atletico Madrid.
The team could go on all the way to win the title and leave Diego Simeone in tears however, for now, let’s take a look at the five talking points from a very dominant display against Sociedad.
Sergino Dest scored a brace for Barcelona
1) Sergino Dest is finally looking dangerous
Sergino Dest was Koeman’s one and only signing this season and he was brought in to replace the failing Nelson Semedo. The American got off to a rather rocky start and he could not quite fulfill Koeman’s vision.
The wing-back was brought in to emulate the style of Jordi Alba. This meant going forward with pace, putting in crosses and occasionally putting the ball at the back of the net himself. Dest, however, had no goals and only one assist so far, this was concerning for the team and for the player himself who used to play much better at Ajax.
Last night against Sociedad, he finally showed his true form and scored his first La Liga goal via a Messi assist. That was not all however, he also scored a second goal to earn a brace. It looks like the wait was worth it and he can only get better from now on.
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi now has 23 goals in La Liga
2) Magician Messi cannot be stopped
Lionel Messi was once again the star of the night as he scored two goals as well as assisted Dest for his first La Liga goal. He broke Xavi Hernandez’s record for most appearances in a Barcelona shirt and has cemented his legacy once and for all.
The best player on the planet and the forever captain of the club put on a magical performance. His first goal came when a beautiful long ball from Sergio Busquets found him perfectly and he could easily finish past the keeper.
The second one of the night came from a Jordi Alba square ball which was perfect for Messi. This showed us the unity that the Argentine still has with the team and if the team keeps performing like this, he might be even willing to stay on after the end of the season.
Real Sociedad had a few chances against Barcelona
3) Real Sociedad put in a good effort
To say the match was one-sided just by looking at the result would not be a complete truth. Yes, the Blaugrana absolutely smashed the opponents, and yes, scoring six goals is a huge achievement however, Sociedad did play well and had quite a few shots on target.
The defense was good and Marc Ter Stegen once again put in a good display to keep out the Sociedad attackers however, they had a few chances and maybe should have even opened the scoring. Alexander Isak made a terrific run in from the left-wing which was unattended and almost scored from very close range however, Ter Stegen was solid as a rock and did not let his shot go through.
Isak had another chance right after Antoine Griezman opened the scoring however, he was once again denied by the German keeper. The team did not give up and ended up with a consolation goal in the 77th minute.
Dembele and Griezmann both got on the scoresheet for Barcelona
4) Much needed goal from the French duo
Barcelona showed glimpses of their true self last night and every player played as per expectations. The biggest improvement has to be from Dembele. The French player had been struggling with his finishing for the past few games and many questioned Koeman’s decision of playing him as the lone striker.
He, however, proved the critics wrong and scored a fantastic goal to take his tally of goals up to nine in all competitions. He did put the ball past the keeper earlier as well but he had just strayed offside and thus let himself down. Griezman also put in a decent performance and scored the all-important opening goal which let Barcelona take control of the game.
Barcelona trail leaders Atletico Madrid by 4 points in La Liga
5) The title race is getting quite exciting
A few weeks ago, the title race was deemed to be over and Atletico Madrid were already considered the champions of Spain. However, with newborn energy and attitude, Koeman’s men rallied through all odds to defy the crowd and once again show the world why we can never write off Barcelona.
The Catalans put in a fantastic performance in the league since December and could very well go on to win the league. They have a match against Atletico which will be the title decider however, the Blaugrana also have the El Clasico to look forward to which is their only other tough game. If Koeman can keep his team motivated, there is no reason as to why they cannot go all the way. The race is too tight to call and it looks like it might go down to the last matchday of the season.
Do you think Barcelona might win the title this season?