Barcelona 2-1 Alaves: 5 Talking Points

#5 Fernando Pacheco deserves great credit

Barcelona v Deportivo Alaves - La Liga

He may have been beaten by Messi close to the end, but Pacheco was the main force behind Alaves going close to a second successive win at Camp Nou.

His save from the Argentine’s first-half free-kick was world class, leaping across goal to match an arrowed effort from a long way out. He kept Suarez at bay in the second half, too, and he deserved more than what he received in the end.

Alaves were defensively strong in the first half, but what really caught the eye was their belief going forward. Guidetti and Sobrino were a constant threat and though Barça allowed them to thrive, a lot of teams would have shirked that opportunity to go forward in that manner.