Granada 2-0 Barcelona: 3 reasons why the Catalans lost the match

Following their goalless stalemate in midweek against Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona travelled to the Nuevo Estadio de Los Carmenes to take on newly promoted Granada.

With Atletico Madrid held to a goalless draw at home to Celta Vigo in the earlier kickoff of the day, victory for Barcelona would have taken them to 10 points, top of the table on goal difference (pending the outcome of the clash between Sevilla and Real Madrid tomorrow).

However, that failed to happen, as Ernesto Valverde's men fell to a 2-0 defeat, with a goal from Ramon Azeez in the second minute and a 66th minute penalty by Alvaro Vadillo condemning the Catalans to their second defeat of the season, while also sending Granada top.

Given the importance of the fixture and quality of players within their ranks, this was a match that Barcelona were expected to win, and in this piece, we highlight three reasons why the Blaugrana fell to the shock defeat.

#3 A host of individual errors

Following the hamstring injury sustained by the otherwise very dependable Jordi Alba (this was his first injury in almost two years) in the game against Dortmund, new recruit Junior Firpo was handed a first start in the game against Granada.

Himself just returning from injury, the 21-year-old would have been looking to put in a good shift, but his Barcelona career had barely begun when things went horribly wrong.

With less than a minute gone on the clock, the former Real Betis man made two errors in quick succession, with Antonio Puertas needing no second invitation to drift past him before whipping in a low cross which fortuitously floated in the air over Ter Stegen off a Gerard Pique deflection for Nigerian international Ramon Azeez to head home.

This was a sign of things to come, as Barcelona made a host of individual errors throughout the cause of the game, with even the normally reliable Ter Stegen spilling a harmless cross right after the restart, although he reacted before Roberto Soldado could capitalize.

Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal had been on the field for barely two minutes when he committed a handball in the penalty box, and the spot-kick was awarded to Granada after consultation with VAR.

Alvaro Vadillo made no mistake from 18 yards out to put Granada 2-0 up and further compound Ernersto Valverde's woes.

Barcelona have earned a reputation over the years for being a pristine side who stick to the minutest of details, but against Granada, they put up an error-strewn performance, and they were justly punished for their sloppiness.

#2 Another listless display in attack

Barcelona have one of the deadliest front-lines in world football, with Luis Suarez widely regarded as the finest center-forward in the world over the last decade, while Antoine Griezmann has a Ballon d'Or podium finish to his name.

The game against Granada marked Lionel Messi's first LaLiga appearance for the Blaugrana after returning from a calf injury, but the Argentine was only fit enough for the bench.

Even in his absence, Barcelona still had enough firepower to dispatch Granada, with Valverde naming an attack comprising of Suarez, Griezmann and the La Masia trained Carles Perez.

However, keeping up with their sloppy displays of late, Barcelona totally failed to create anything of note in the first half, and struggled to impose their will on a resolute Granada back four.

Indeed, Rui Silva was a relative spectator in the Granada goal for much of the match, and this would have been very worrying for Ernersto Valverde given the quality of players he had on the field.

Messidependencia has been in full force at Barcelona in recent years, and with each passing minute of the game, it became glaringly obvious that the defending champions did not pose any threat without their mercurial Argentine on the field.

Valverde switched things up at the break, bringing on his captain and Ansu Fati in place of the hapless duo of Carles Perez and Junior Firpo, but despite the presence of their record goalscorer, it was largely the same pedestrian attacking display.

Messi is a legend capable of changing the course of a game, but there is a limit to what he can achieve, and despite adding verve and tempo to the Barcelona attack, there was a lack of sync with his attacking teammates, while he also showed signs of not being at his best, which is understandable given that he only just returned from injury.

Indeed, Barcelona did not have a shot on target until the dying moments of the game, with the effort on goal coming from none other than Messi.

#1 Their away form has been atrocious

Barcelona have failed to win in their last seven away fixtures

While the loss to Granada might have come as a shock to many around the globe, keen followers of the game would not have been surprised in the least bit.

Barcelona's display in Andalusia followed a worrying trend which is becoming fast rooted in the DNA of the club- they simply cannot find a way to put up good performances away from home.

In three LaLiga fixtures away from the Camp Nou this season, Barcelona have lost two and drawn the other, conceding five goals and scoring two.

If you add the away stalemate with Borussia Dortmund (where Ter Stegen's heroics kept them from losing), it means that Barcelona have failed to win in four matches away from home this season, and the loss at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes has seen Barcelona go seven consecutive matches in all competitions without an away victory.

Their only wins this season came at Camp Nou, where two 5-2 victories helped create a false sense of security in Catalunya.

In those games, despite still showing worrying signs of defensive fragility, Barcelona's attack was almost sublime, and but for some poor finishing, those scorelines would have been more emphatic.

This goes in stark contrast to the struggles they face away from home, and if they are to achieve their lofty ambitions this season, then they must find a lasting cure to their away day blues.