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Barcelona posted a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Getafe at Camp Nou to make it three consecutive league wins under Quique Setien.
The hosts came into this game off the back of a topsy-turvy 3-2 win last time out and with Clement Lenglet sent off for two bookable offences against Real Betis, his compatriot Samuel Umtiti was handed a start.
It was a clash between second and third, with the Catalans looking to close the gap on Real Madrid at the summit, while their visitors sought to solidify their quest for a maiden top-four finish.
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After initial struggles, Barcelona weathered an early Getafe storm and soon settled into their rhythm and went into the break with a 2-0 lead.
The first of those was converted by Antoine Griezmann in the 30th minute, with the 28-year-old showing great composure to calmly lift the ball over David Soria after an exquisite pass from Lionel Messi, while Sergi Roberto made it 2-0 nine minutes later with a well-guided shot from inside the box.
Rather surprisingly, Barcelona sought to protect their lead upon the resumption of the second half, inviting pressure from Los Azulones and the Madrid side got a well-deserved goal when Angel Rodriguez converted on the volley from a cross by Jaime Mata in the 66th minute.
From then on, the game descended into a game of chess, with Barcelona keeping their visitors at bay to pick up all three points.
The win sees the Blaugrana temporarily move level on points with Real Madrid, pending the outcome of their clash with Celta Vigo, while Getafe remain in third spot and in this piece, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Injury concern for Jordi Alba
There had been barely 20 minutes gone in the game when Jordi Alba pulled up with what appeared to be a muscle problem and the Spanish international instantly signified his inability to continue to the bench.
His condition was hardly helped by a stray pass from Arthur which made him stretch moments later, possibly compounding the issue and he was substituted by understudy Junior Firpo midway through the first half.
Although the injury did not look too serious, with the Champions League knockout rounds fast approaching, fans of Barcelona would be waiting with bated breath for good news, especially in light of the injuries already sustained to key first-teamers Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez.
#4 Angel Rodriguez passes Nou Camp audition
The new year started on a sour note for Barcelona, with the Catalans losing the services of first Luis Suarez and then Ousmane Dembele.
Both players are among the best in the world in their positions and losing their services for a lengthy period is less than an ideal situation for the club.
In any other league, these absences would have been harmful to their chances for the rest of the season but unique laws in Spain means that there is still hope for the Catalans.
Despite the closure of the winter transfer window, special rules in Spain authorizes clubs to make emergency signings in the case of a long-term injury, with the only caveats being that the injury had to have come after the end of the transfer window and the signed player has to be from a Spanish club.
Barcelona are hoping to take advantage of this and they while Suarez might have been injured in mid-January, the severity of Dembele's injury was not confirmed until the start of February (after the window had shut).
In light of this, the club have turned their attention to several forwards in the Spanish top-flight, with names like Rodrigo, Inaki Williams, and Agel Rodriguez among those linked with an emergency transfer.
However, the release clauses in the players' contracts mean that the latter is the most viable option (€10m), while his age (33 years) means that he would not be too concerned with not playing a starring role.
Angel has been one of the standout players for Getafe, scoring nine goals from just five starts to help them climb up the table.
He made it 10 in the clash with Barcelona and rather remarkably, eight of those have come off the bench (nobody has more in Europe's top five leagues) and he could play a role in Barcelona's quest for league glory.
The club are waiting for confirmation for a transfer from the medical branch of the Spanish authorities and there are strong indications that the deal for Angel would be completed within the week, while his muted goal celebration might have been in deference to the fans of his prospective club.
#3 Barcelona go joint-top with Real Madrid
Barcelona are two-time defending champions of LaLiga but unlike in the previous years when they practically strolled their way to the title, they would have their work cut out if they are to make it a three-peat, as a resurgent Real Madrid do not look like they are going anywhere.
Both sides had been engaged in a tense battle at the top, level on points until the defeat to Valencia handed Real Madrid the initiative to take a three-point lead.
Los Blancos have seen their previous defensive woes sorted out and currently boast the best defence in the top-flight, while Zinedine Zidane has also stated that the club's primary aim this season is to win a first domestic title since 2017.
With their latest victory, Barcelona moved level on points with Real Madrid and with Los Blancos not in action until Sunday, it is looking highly likely that this season would go down to the wire in what would be an intense race to be crowned league champions.
#2 Even in defeat, Getafe can leave with their heads held high
Just four years ago, Getafe were floundering in the doldrums of the Spanish second division and were second-bottom when Jose Bordalas was appointed in 2016.
They managed to secure top-flight promotion through the playoff and achieved a record-high 8th position in their first season back in LaLiga.
Last term, they narrowly lost a top-four place on the last day and anyone who was thinking their performance was down to luck has been in for a rude shock, as they have continued from where they left off this season.
They impressively topped their Europa League group and currently find themselves in third spot on the standings, firmly poised for a maiden Champions League qualification.
Their gameplan is built around a dedicated group of players committed to their coach's high pressing demands and while their physicality and negative style of play might put people off, a cursory look at the table would reveal that it has been very effective.
Getafe came out of the blocks flying against Barcelona and for much of the first half were in the ascendancy, with the hosts struggling to contain their press and implement their usual free-flowing football.
Every time Ter Stegen had the ball in his area, there were always at least five Getafe players within his vicinity, with two closely marking Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti, while another pair blocked off his access to the full-backs.
The best chances of the early period were also fashioned by the visitors, with Jorge Molina fluffing his line when played through on goal, while Marc Cucurella narrowly flashed wide from the edge of the area.
They also put the ball in the back of the net when Allan Nyom headed from a corner but VAR reviews showed that he had elbowed Umtiti in the buildup and the goal was rightly disallowed.
Even in defeat, Getafe were able to match their more illustrious opponents for much of the match and showed that they are fully deserving of their spot on the league table.
#1 Goal drought goes on for Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi's greatness means that it is not too often that you associate bad numbers with him but the Argentine international is yet to hit his usual heights in front of goal in recent weeks.
The 2-0 defeat to Valencia (where he equalled his personal record of having 11 shots without scoring) was the start of things to come and since then, the 32-year-old has failed to find the back of the net in three LaLiga games.
His latest blank means that Messi has not scored in the league since netting the only goal in the 1-0 victory over Granada in the middle of January, a run stretching 374 minutes.
In that time, he has had 31 shots (15 on target) and while he might still be as pristine as ever in playmaking with six assists in that time (including three against Real Betis), the absence of Luis Suarez means that Barcelona would need their skipper to rediscover his scoring boots as soon as possible.
