La Liga 2018-19, Barcelona 2-0 Espanyol: 3 reasons why Barcelona won the game

#2 Espanyol’s ultra-defensive approach

Players from Espanyol sat back and defend

To counter Barcelona’s attacking threat, the teams playing at the Camp Nou have resorted to a defensive approach this season and Espanyol manager Rubi tried to do the same with a five-man defense. But this conservative strategy allows teams to attack deep into the opposition half and a team as talented as Barcelona will surely find a way past the defense.

Barcelona was always playing at the edge of the box and their ability to play one-touch football frequently troubled the back line of Espanyol. Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba’s combination play in the left wing stretched the opposition defence and Espanyol had no ideas to stop them. There was always three defenders marking Messi and this resulted in a lot of space for Suarez and Coutinho to run in from behind the defence. Fans of Espanyol will expect their team to attack more in the upcoming games.

With all the space given to Barca and their talented attacking, it is no wonder that the home team won the match. The visitors were largely unable to cope with the pressure from Barcelona when the former defended deep.