Getafe vs Barcelona – 3 Takeaways from the 0-0 draw

So Barcelona started with a bit of a whimper. A 0-0 draw with Getafe means the La Liga champions started their defence with a bit of a whimper.

It was a frustrating game for Barca fans, but I’d argue it was a frustrating game for football fans. I think there were more fouls off the ball than on the ball, and Getafe set out to frustrate and bait the Barca players into making silly decisions, and Raphinha obliged with a petulant lash-out.

Last night we went through our player ratings, today we’re going to pick out three takeaways from the game.

A lack of cutting-edge in the final third

Getafe set up to frustrate Barcelona throughout and when you’re the La Liga champions, that’s going to happen a lot. Barcelona was faced with a back 6 at times, with 2 defensive midfielders sitting in front, and they constantly failed to break down the wall.

Barcelona enjoyed a lot of possession and finished the game having controlled the ball for 75% of the time, but the passing in the final-third was really disappointing and it started with the inability to link up with Robert Lewandowski.

The great Polish striker looks to be lacking match sharpness, and on several occasions looked to be on a different page to his teammates. I’m sure it’s just early-season rust, but his touch was off and his passing was erratic.

If you’re facing a team willing to come out and play, you can win in different ways. When you’re facing a team with a low block and everyone behind the ball, your passing and control have to be faultless to find a way through, it really wasn’t last night.