Alaves 0-1 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points as Frenkie de Jong's late winner rescues Blaugrana | La Liga 2021-22

Barcelona grabbed a late winner to beat Alaves 1-0 in a La Liga clash on Sunday. Frenkie de Jong's winner earned the Blaugrana all three points. After two defeats across competitions - Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and Athletic Club in Copa del Rey - Barcelona are back to winning ways.

The first half was a snooze-fest as both teams lacked the urgency to take charge of the game. The visitors did well to hold onto possession and move forward. However, they failed to make their possession count. Meanwhile, the Blaugrana were unable to sustain their attacking play in the final third.

Nevertheless, the visitors upped the ante in the second half. The biggest chance fell for Luuk de Jong at the hour mark. However, the Dutch international shot straight at Fernando Pacheco after receiving the ball from Pedri.

Just as the game looked like ending in a draw, De Jong scored from close range following an inch-perfect pass from Ferran Torres. Jordi Alba played a good ball to find Torres, who set up De Jong for the winner.

With the win, the Blaugrana are up to fifth in the league standings, but trail leaders Real Madrid by 15 points, albeit with a game in hand. On that note, here's a look at five talking points from the game:

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#5 Pedri returns to action for Barcelona in style

Pedri in action against Alaves

Pedri played his first league game since August 2021. The Spanish midfielder last played against Atheltic Club on 22nd August. He enjoyed a great game against Alaves, and was one of the few players who looked lively.

He won five duels, completed two dribbles, made four recoveries, created six chances and won one tackle during his stay on the pitch.

The 19-year-old earned high praise from Xavi from his performance. Heaping praise on him, Xavi said:

"Pedri is marvellous. He is an excellent example of our style of play."

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#4 Xavi's tiki taka remains a work in progress

Ferran Torres tussles it out against Javi Lopez.

Barcelona attempted 693 passes against Alaves, their most for the season. Out of the 693 passes attempted, the Blaugrana completed 597 of them, recording an accuracy of 86%. The visitors kept the ball rolling, ending the game with 76% posession.

Although Barcelona had most of the possession, they hardly looked threatening. They kept circling round the Alaves box cluelessly. Their passing lacked zeal, as they were unable to make it count higher up the pitch.

Moreover, the slow transitioning allowed Alaves to regroup and close the gaps. Xavi will have a lot of work to do before his philosophy starts showing desired results.

#3 Barcelona looked bereft of ideas against Alaves

Sergio Busquets in action against Alaves

Barcelona may have won the game, but it was not a convincing performance. The visitors looked clueless in the final third. The Blaugrana lacked creativity when moving forward, and struggled to breach Alaves' backline throughout the game.

Xavi's men were very slow in their transitions. They just kept circling passes around the Alaves box. The decision-making of the front three was highly questionable too, as they gave away possession cheaply on multiple occasions.

Moreover, the visitors' incompetent attacking from the wings left Luuk de Jong devoid of any service on the night.

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#2 Frenkie de Jong produces a decisive performance

Frenkie de Jong scored the all important goal.

Frenkie de Jong made all the difference for the Blaugrana on the night. The Dutch international scored the only goal of the game to seal all three points for his team. The 24-year-old tapped in from close range following a pass from Ferran Torres in the box.

Apart from the goal, De Jong won 100% of his duels. He won five duels, completed three dribbles, made five recoveries, and intercepted the ball twice. Although he had to play much deeper than he prefers to, he did pretty well with his ball circulation, in a great performance.

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#1 Top 4 battle is heating up

Xavi will have a lot to think about following the game against Alaves.

With Barcelona's win over Alaves, the gap between the Blaugrana and fourth-placed Atletico Madrid is just one point. The Blaugrana sit in fifth place with 35 points after 21 games. Meanwhile, the Rojiblancos are in fourth place with 36 points.

Barcelona could move into the top four after the international break, as they play Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on 6th February. A win against Diego Simeone's side will see them inch closer to Real Betis, who are third in the points table with 40 points after 22 games.

Barcelona will hope to continue their winning run as the battle for the top four heats up.