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Barcelona started off their 2018-19 season in fine form as they went on to win the Spanish Super Cup in August after defeating Sevilla 2-1 in a one-off game played in Tangier, Morocco. The league season began with a home fixture against Deportivo Alaves and Barcelona came out victorious with a comfortable 3-0 win.
The Catalan club took their winning streak to four games in LaLiga before being held at home by Girona in a 2-2 draw. This was followed by a series of poor results in LaLiga as the next 3 games saw Barcelona earning only 2 points from a possible 9.
Under normal circumstances such a streak of poor results would've raised eyebrows at the Barcelona camp; however, this time around there was no need to be alarmed as Barcelona's arch rivals Real Madrid were embroiled in a meltdown of their own as they went through a 5-game winless run in LaLiga during the same time.
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The catastrophe at Madrid made Barcelona favourites to clinch the league title this season and disguised their tactical shortcomings in the garb of domestic success.
Here are the points to ponder:
#1 League success concealed Valverde's conservative philosophy
Barcelona have been known for more than a decade now as a team that plays attacking football through tactical passing. Even when the score is 5-0 at the 85th minute mark, Barcelona do not sit back and are always on the lookout to increase their advantage. However, since Ernesto Valverde took charge of the club it has been disappointing to watch Barcelona play in the final 15 minutes of the game as they sit back and try to protect their lead.
This approach works well when the team is leading during the final stages of the game; however, it turns into an unmitigated disaster when Barcelona are chasing a game. The league season did not challenge Blaugrana enough to highlight such inadequacies in Valverde's approach.
Barcelona won the league on Matchday 35 and looked like marching on to a 3rd historic continental treble. However, two games against ruthless opponents like Liverpool and Valencia derailed the Catalan club's season.
#2 Poor away form in the Champions League
Barcelona's away form in the UEFA Champions League has been a topic of argument for the past 4 seasons now as the team that plays at Camp Nou looks completely different from the one playing the away leg.
The game against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium this season made it look like Barcelona had finally addressed their woes away from home, however that was just about it as in the other away fixtures Barcelona once again appeared to be struggling.
The Catalan club played 3 away games in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season and found the back of the net just once as Luke Shaw scored an own goal in the quarter final stage at Old Trafford.
The first leg of the semi-final against Liverpool saw Barcelona escaping with a lucky 3-0 win as Liverpool were very close to getting an away goal on a number of occasions. The masterclass of Lionel Messi saw Barcelona take a comfortable 3-0 advantage to Anfield; however, a stellar Liverpool performance made this margin look small as the Merseyside club breezed past Barcelona 4-0 to book a place in the final.
#3 Should Valverde continue after the Copa del Rey disappointment?
Barcelona's hopes of winning the treble were shattered following the defeat against Liverpool, however a domestic double was still on the cards as the Catalan club had booked a place in the Copa del Rey final for a 6th consecutive season after defeating Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Blaugrana faced Valencia in the final and it was not being considered a cakewalk for them as Valverde's men had twice failed to beat Valencia this season. The game began with a lacklustre performance by Barcelona and they were punished heavily as Valencia were 2 goals up by halftime. The second half saw desperate attempts by Barcelona to get back into the game and Messi even cut down the deficit to one goal; however, Valencia's defense proved to be too robust in the dying moments of the game.
With this defeat, Barcelona ended their season in a disappointing manner as a month ago they were on their way to a continental treble but ultimately had to settle for a league title. Valverde's position as the manager is in great jeopardy now as his tactics have failed miserably this season.
In order to get back to European prominence, Barcelona require a major overhaul and need to address the shortcomings in the manager's tactical approach.
