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Barcelona welcomed Deportivo Alaves to Camp Nou on Saturday looking to end their year on a high. The Catalans had a disappointing run in the midweek, managing only a 0-0 draw against arch-rivals Real Madrid in the El Classico. It was their second draw on the run and Ernesto Valverde’s men were desperate to get back to winning ways on Saturday. Barcelona were tied on 36 points with Los Blancos in the La Liga but were leading the table thanks to a superior goal difference. As such, the Catalans could not afford to slip up anymore.
Their opponents on Saturday were 14th in the league and dangerously slipping down. Alaves were winless in their last 3 games and had a poor away record so far. The Catalans had a decent record against El Glorioso in the La Liga, winning 6 of their 8 meetings before Saturday and only losing once. As such, Valverde had every reason to be optimistic and he named his team accordingly.
Barcelona Starting XI: Marc Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Arturo Vidal, Sergio Busquets, Carles Alena; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann
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Barcelona started the game well and took the lead through Griezmann in the 14th minute. Arturo Vidal doubled the score 3 minutes before the halftime and the Catalans went into the break with a 2-0 lead. After the break, the away side struck back through Pere Pons in the 56th minute. However, Messi restored Barcelona’s 2 goal advantage in the 69th minute. Suarez made in 4-1 in the Catalans’ favour from the spot in the 75th minute and ultimately ensured the Barcelona stayed unbeaten in the Camp Nou in 2019. Here are the hits and flops from the game.
Hit: Lionel Messi
The reigning Ballon d’Or winner cut an isolated figure in midweek in the El Classico, where he failed to guide his team to a victory. Against Alaves, it was a chance for him to revert back to his normal form and ensure that Barcelona stayed at the top of the La Liga table before the start of the winter break.
The Argentinean started the game by assessing the opposition, before leading the onslaught on the away defence. He spearheaded the home side’s attack, initiating attacks and churning up unbelievable final balls in the final third. Alaves could not lay a finger on him and Messi continued to dictate the proceedings in the final third. The only thing missing was the goal and when it arrived in the 69th minute, it was worth the wait.
Messi received the ball from Suarez in the opposition half and ran towards the Alaves defence. Even though there were quite a few players surrounding him, the Argentinean managed to find space and placed a left-footer in the first bar to make it 3-1 for his team. It was also his 50th goal in 2019.
Flop: Fernando Pacheco
The Spaniard did not have too much to do but ended up picking the ball out of the net 4 times in the game. He was a spectator for all the 4 goals and failed to step up when his team needed him the most. Surprisingly, Pacheco ended the game without making any saves and did not have any claims either, summing up a forgettable day under the sticks.
Pacheco did not even react to Griezmann’s shot in the 14th minute that led to the opening goal. There was nothing much he could do to keep Vidal’s fierce hit out. When it looked like the away side were gathering a foothold in the game, the Spaniard was undone by a magical Messi hit that took the game away from Alaves.
The Spaniard then guessed Suarez’s penalty kick correctly, diving to his right, but could not reach the ball in the end as Barcelona ran away with a 4-1 victory.
Hit: Arturo Vidal
The Chilean started from the bench against Real Madrid in midweek, before he came on for the last 35 minutes. Against Alaves, though, Arturo Vidal had another opportunity to prove a point to Valverde and he started the game very well. The Chilean pressed the ball with a desire that was largely absent in the Barcelona team in midweek, and his drive from the midfield was a welcome change in the team.
Vidal was full of legs, running up and down the field and making his presence felt around the park. He showed a hunger to join the attack, regularly teaming up with Messi on the right flank and running into pockets of spaces near the box. With every passing minute, his impact in the game magnified and in the dying minutes of the first half, he made a telling contribution to his team’s cause.
Following some good interchanging play between Suarez and Messi, the Uruguayan placed the ball unselfishly towards Vidal. The Chilean hit a first time shot with enough venom to beat Pacheco in the Alaves goal. It helped the home side calm down and ultimately helped them win the game.
Flop: Rodrigo Ely
The Brazilian had his task cut out for the game, facing a formidable front three that included the greatest player in the world at the moment. With Griezmann, Suarez, and Messi running riot all around him, Rodrigo Ely had his plate full for the entire 90 minutes and struggled to come to terms with the speed and technicality of the Barcelona attack. The Brazilian failed to marshall his defence and was perhaps one of the poorest players on the pitch.
Ely and the rest of his defence were stretched throughout the game and came up short every time. The Brazilian failed to deal with Griezmann’s movement and allowed him to run free into the box to score the first goal of the game. From then on, it went all downhill for him and his backline, as they looked vulnerable every time Barcelona arrive near the box.
The Brazilian ended the game with just one tackle, which was unsuccessful but did make 3 clearances and 1 interception.
Hit: Antoine Griezmann
The Frenchman is slowly warming up to life at Camp Nou and has shown signs of gelling with the team in recent weeks. Against Real Madrid, Antoine Griezmann did not have the best of games and spent most of his time helping out at the back. Against Alaves, he had a chance to redeem himself and the Frenchman took the offer with both hands.
Griezmann started the game in his now-familiar forward left position and looked lively right from the start. He made impressive, penetrative runs that stretched the Alaves defence. The Frenchman came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, before finally finding the back of the net in the 14th minute.
It all started when Vidal sent Suarez free in the final third. The Alaves defence failed to clear Uruguayan’s cut back into the box and it fell to the Frenchman, who unleashed a brilliant right-foot volley to break the deadlock.
Griezmann continued to make his presence felt at both ends of the park. He impressed in the final third, combining well with Messi, Suarez and Alba to give Barcelona the edge in attack. The Frenchman also dropped down to help out his defence throughout the game.
