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

#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.