'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
FC Barcelona faced Eibar in match-week 19 of the LaLiga. This was Barcelona's first game at home in 2019. Eibar came into the game only three points clear of the relegation zone in the 16th place. FC Barcelona came into the game following their Copa Del Rey loss, away to Levante.
Barcelona's gap at the top was cut down to two points following Atletico Madrid's win against Levante. Ernesto Valverde returned to his favoured 11 against Eibar. Sergi Roberto started at right-back spot. Arthur started in the midfield alongside Rakitic. Interestingly, Phillipe Coutinho got the nod to start at left-wing ahead of Ousmane Dembele.
Barcelona opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Luis Suarez found the back of the net after a neat exchange of passes with Coutinho. They doubled the lead eight minutes into the second half. Lionel Messi scored his 400th LaLiga goal in the 53rd minute. Six minutes later, Luis Suarez hit the back of the net again. The three goals were enough to see Barcelona through the game and maintain their top spot, five points ahead of the second-placed Atletico Madrid.
Trending
The Blaugrana will face Levante in the second leg of Copa Del Rey next. Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Eibar start the game with intent but lose heart with time
Eibar played beautifully in the opening moments of the game. The exchange of passes and the possession game frustrated the Barcelona players for a while. The wing play in the left-hand side was proving to be tormenting for the Blaugrana. Sergi Roberto was very busy down the flank due to attacks from the side. They even managed to keep possession as much as they could.
But once Barcelona took the ball, they were weak in the back end and ended up conceding the first goal despite playing with so much intent. They got a lot of opportunities even after the first goal to equalize but they couldn't take any of it. They only managed to get 2 out of their 15 attempts on target.
In the second half, Barcelona stepped their foot on the gas and scored two quick goals. The Eibar side just lost the motivation to attack, it seemed, after the second goal. Sergi Enrich blew one or two easy chances but that was about it from the team. Had Eibar made more of the opportunities, it might have been different. At the end of the day, Marc Andre Ter Stegen had nothing much to do in front of goal.
#4 Barcelona's defense shows improvement against a stubborn underdog
It was never going to be a cake-walk for Barcelona against Eibar. They are one of the better teams in the attacking end in the league. They have scored 21 league goals which are the same number as that scored by 6th placed Getafe. Even Real Madrid has scored only 28 league goals despite being a team reliant on the attack more than defense, and that too with much better personnel that Eibar.
FC Barcelona's defensive lapses have been ever-present this season. They have conceded many goals due to weak defense and could have been avoided. Particularly, they have been weak defending crosses and high lobbed passes into the box. Their opponents have scored most of the goals through these methods.
Yesterday, Eibar used the same tactic to bring Barcelona down. They whipped in a lot of crosses into the box. They managed to trouble the defense but this time Barcelona had anticipated an aerial bombardment. Even Valverde possibly warned Pique about the defense when he had the chat after the first goal. Clement Lenglet was very good in clearing any imminent danger, particularly on one occasion, where he headed the ball out from close range.
Barcelona's defensive stats are proof to it. They won 16 out of 26 defensive aerials against Eibar. 11 of the 16 were won by Pique and Lenglet combined. In addition, Barcelona got 87% of their tackles right, 20/23. They also made 13 interceptions and had 31 clearances.
Barcelona needs to put up more of these performances at the back end even against teams with a better attack. Eibar is a team with a good attacking eye but Barcelona managed to keep a clean sheet against them. The Blaugrana would want to continue this form at the back.
#3 Marc Cucurella's Blaugrana audition: A poor night for the La Masia graduate
Marc Cucurella found himself in familiar territories last night. So familiar, this was the city where he came up through the youth ranks and donned the Blaugrana with the B team. Currently, on loan at Eibar, Cucurella started as a wide left midfielder against Barcelona. The former Barca B left-back started the game promisingly and went through the right side of the Barcelona defence with confidence.
Early in the game, he was involved, won freekicks, tried to pass into the box and was looked like a constant threat. He had the measure of Sergi Roberto. But for some mysterious reason, his contributions faded after the first goal. He only managed a total of 26 touches in the whole game. His passing rate was 76% in the game, the worst in his team. Even after making only 17 passes, his pass percentage was so low.
This performance is not one which he would have preferred to impress his original team and for that matter his current team as well. He was taken off in the 64th minute with no real impact on the game. He would hope to bounce back to form in the next game and he would surely hope to return to the Blaugrana next year on the back of some good performances that he has put up. The one against Real Madrid won't be forgotten by Barcelona, would it?
#2 Luis Suarez is gradually becoming irreplaceable
Who would have thought of it? When it comes to certain players, they just cannot be replaced. Xavi Hernandez was one such player who couldn't be replaced for almost three years until Barcelona found Arthur. Carles Puyol is another such player but Barcelona was lucky to land Samuel Umtiti. Same with Victor Valdes. Barcelona would never have thought that Marc Ter Stegen would turn into such a good sweeper keeper.
But Luis Suarez? A striker couldn't possibly be a player who would be irreplaceable. A striker could be found much more easily than any other role players ie. controller, raumdeuter, regista etc. But there simply isn't a role for a striker. When it comes to certain players like Luis Suarez, it is different. He is no goal poacher, he is not lazy, he keeps running tirelessly all day long, unlike certain players like Cavani, Kane, and Icardi. Suarez is involved in almost every goal that Barcelona scores even though he might not be the one to score it.
Replacing a striker like Suarez would be a tough task and Barcelona should do it when the Uruguayan could still play a majority of the matches. Suarez sprang up with two goals and an assist against Eibar. He made only 17 passes but he had 3 key passes amongst those. Also, he made four successful tackles. He helped Coutinho back into form with the link-up play. He assisted Leo Messi's 400th LaLiga goal. What more can he do? Barcelona better get a young striker who could learn from the man himself and turn into his long term replacement.
There are two people called Luis Suarez have donned the Blaugrana. Both are legends in their own right, one is a Ballon d'Or winner, the other is one of the most versatile strikers the club has ever seen and possibly will ever see.
#1 Philippe Coutinho puts up a reassuring performance
The Philippe Coutinho conundrum has put the club and its fans under deep thoughts for the past few matchdays. When the Brazilian played as a substitute, it became more and more clear that the left-wing is not suitable for him. Dembele's pivotal performances put him out of the starting lineup for good. Even in the midfield, Valverde couldn't take gambles with Coutinho as a starter.
When starting in the left wing against Levante he disappointed again. He was also starting to be called a flop transfer and even transfer talks to Manchester United started emerging. It wasn't his fault, the left-wing isn't suited for him and it was difficult to find a place to fit him in. However, Valverde continued to show faith in him as he rested Dembele against Eibar.
This time Coutinho delivered a reassuring performance for the fans and proved that he could indeed get over his rough patch. Coutinho adjusted to his less-favored position as a left wide attacker than a left-wide midfielder. He did not bring up his finesse shot which shows that he is not looking to force, what at some stages looks like the only skill he possesses. Instead, he relied more on passing and running inside.
He was perhaps unlucky not to win a penalty when he played a brilliant one-two with Suarez. The same one-two passing set up Suarez's first goal. He got one assist and completed four dribbles. He made 86% of his passes, second to none of the attacking players. He made 48 passes out of 56. Later on, when Arthur was brought off, he played in the midfield and excelled there as well.
Barcelona needs all their players in form when the knockout stages arrive in the Champions League. Needless to say, the only one who truly was going through a rough patch is returning back to his best. Even the Phoenix rises from its own ashes but first, it has to burn.
