Barcelona 2-2 Valencia: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | La Liga 2018-19

Barcelona came back from a two-goal deficit to claim a 2-2 draw against Valencia at the Camp Nou.

Valencia started the game brightly, and Denis Cheryshev hit the post in the early minutes. The away side soon had the lead, when Kevin Gameiro ran onto Rodrigo's through ball to finish emphatically. To Camp Nou's disbelief, Valencia doubled their lead. Sergi Roberto fouled Daniel Wass, and Daniel Parejo converted from the spot.

Barcelona pulled one back before half-time, when they were awarded a penalty as well. Lionel Messi dispatched it coolly to reignite the home fans. Messi had his second after the interval, which leveled the game at 2-2. The Argentine curled his effort from outside the box around the hour mark, and Barcelona had parity.

Messi was injured late on, though he did continue for the 90 minutes. Both the sides failed to find an eventual winner, and the spoils were shared. Valencia stay in 7th place, whereas Barcelona extended their lead at the top to 6 points.

Here are the major talking points from an enthralling game.

#5 Valverde failing to find a balance between rotation and injuries

Valverde had to field a weakened team

The month that is to come is a huge one for Barcelona. Lyon await them in the Champions League round of 16. Real Madrid await them in the Copa Del Rey semi-finals. The title race is heating up as well, as Atletico Madrid refuse to let up.

This calls for a strong and deep squad, which Barcelona don't actually have at the moment. Ousmane Dembele and Samuel Umtiti are both out with injuries, which leaves Barcelona devoid of two star players. There is no backup left-back at Valverde's disposal, and Sergio Busquets's accumulation of yellow cards meant that he missed the game due to suspension.

Valverde rested the likes of Jordi Alba and Arthur, giving a chance to Carles Alena and playing Sergi Roberto at left-back. Thomas Vermaelen was also afforded a game, as Clement Lenglet was benched. It did not pay off for him, as a weakened Barcelona failed to assert their dominance. As the crucial fixtures pile up, it will be interesting to see how Valverde manages his squad.

#4 Where would Barcelona be without Lionel Messi?

Lionel Messi

Like countless occasions in the past, Lionel Messi dug Barcelona out of a hole all by himself, as he scored a brace to claim a point for his side.

Barcelona trailed 0-2 after 32 minutes, and they needed the Argentine to step up. Step up he did, converting a penalty to halve the deficit heading into the break. Then he pulled a sensational goal out of nowhere to equalise for Barcelona. The curling effort was ingenious, and Neto had absolutely no chance.

Messi, however, suffered a thigh problem after scoring the goal, which visibly troubled him for the remainder of the match. He was not moving freely in the later stages, which significantly stunted Barcelona's attacking forays. Every Barca fan, and Valverde, will undoubtedly be praying that it was nothing more than a knock that heals quickly.

#3 Gameplan works pretty well for Marcelinho and Valencia

Gameiro opened the scoring for Valencia

Prior to the game, Marcelinho had never won against Barcelona in his managerial career. He could not cross that bridge today, but he came mighty close. His gameplan was executed quite well, and they were undone by two moments which ultimately cost them the three points.

Valencia had just 31% possession in the game and completed just 348 passes to Barcelona's 775. They did not run after the ball either, and defended well, closing gaps whenever Barcelona got into dangerous positions. Despite having so less of the ball, they threatened the opposition goal. They had 14 shots to Barcelona's 20 and had just 1 less on target.

Valencia created 11 chances to Barcelona's 12, and their expected goals were a mammoth 3.23 compared to 1.77 for Barcelona. Marcelinho's side executed his plan well, but giving away the penalty and a moment of magic from Messi meant that they could not get more than a point from the game.

#2 Jordi Alba is vital for Barcelona on the pitch

Alba made an impact off the bench

Normally the full-backs in a side are not the stars, they are just good role-players who carry out their job well. The attackers and the midfielders take the plaudits more often than not. But Barcelona's left-back is one of the crucial players for the team, and it was visible against Valencia.

Sergi Roberto started the game at left-back, as Valverde opted to rest Alba. Roberto made a scant impact, as he could not settle into an unfamiliar role. Alba came on for him at half-time and made an instant impact. He provided the width consistently in attack providing passing options to the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi.

He is an elite player defensively as well, which makes him arguably the best two-way full-back in the world. Alba is a crucial player for Valverde, especially since the attackers don't provide the natural width. Also, there is no clear backup for him in the squad.

#1 Opportunity there for Atletico to heat up the title race

Atletico can cut the gap to 3 points

Barcelona were on an eight-game winning streak, which meant that Atletico Madrid had been kept at bay for the period. But the dropped points against Valencia will provide a great chance to Diego Simeone's side to close the gap at the top of the La Liga table.

The gap is six points now, but Atletico can cut it to three if they win against Real Betis on Sunday. It is not a 'winnable' game by any means, but Simeone's side has gone past tougher obstacles before. If the gap is reduced to three points, then things get very interesting, especially with the two sides yet to play each other.

Barca will meet Atletico in the league in April, a game which is set to have mammoth consequences. Atletico have been in great form as well, and there is no guarantee that Barcelona will be leading when the two sides meet in April. The title race is set to be an exciting one this year.