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Lionel Messi's Barcelona have scored just once in their last 180 minutes of competitive football. They could not score at the Ramon Sanchez Pizuan and only just about managed to scrape a victory at home against Athletic Club Bilbao via a 71st-minute effort from Ivan Rakitic.
For most of the night at a festive Barcelona, with the city bursting firecrackers on the eve of St. John's Day, the Blaugrana players, however, failed to set the Nou Camp alight.
Had it not been for a spectacular manoeuvre from Lionel Messi and Rakitic's quick anticipation, Barcelona may not have scored at all against Bilbao. Later, Ansu Fati hit the crossbar, but Barcelona could not double their lead or add gloss to the scoreline.
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The inspirational Lionel Messi has not scored in two games now. However, Barcelona will take the three points as they reclaim the La Liga lead, albeit in unconvincing fashion, in the most intense La Liga title race in years.
Barcelona have scored just once in two games - a scary conundrum for a club that knows it has to win all its remaining matches to have any realistic chance of winning the 2019-20 La Liga title.
Expecting Real Madrid to drop points is another of their significant worries, though. For now, the spotlight is back on the capital club as they take on RCD Mallorca where a win will take them back to the La Liga summit.
We now take a look at why Barcelona have struggled to score in their last couple of games.
Quique Setien's predictable tactics
It is no secret that Quique Setien does not have many wingers at his disposal. Since the departure of Neymar to PSG, the Blaugrana have attempted, unsuccessfully, to fill the void left by the Brazilian.
Philippe Coutinho was made to perform that task, but when that failed, Barcelona brought in Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman, however, has been less than prolific for Barcelona, escpecially in recent times as he has scored just once in his last 13 league appearances.
Barcelona have a paucity of wingers in their ranks. Granted they have Ousmane Dembele, but the former Borussia Dortmund man has persistently struggled with injuries. This is what has compounded the problem for Setien. His side looks narrow and therefore, predictable.
In football, wingers are important because when the middle of the pitch gets congested, the players on the flanks can provide much-needed support and continue a team's attacking momentum. This is what was missing in Barcelona's previous game against Sevilla FC that ended goalless, and was also largely the case against Bilbao.
It is only after Ansu Fati came on that the Blaugrana managed to add width to their game. Of course, the Barcelona full-backs Jordi Alba and Nelson Semedo do provide width. But they are essentially defensive players and not forwards who have a different array of skills to discomfit defenders.
Indeed, after Fati came on in the 65th minute, he began to threaten the Bilbao right-back Oscar de Marcos and even made a wonderful mazy run, leaving a couple of Bilbao defenders in his wake.
The lone goal of the game duly arrived just six minutes after Fati's arrival. Although it came from a combination of two different players, Messi and Rakitic, it was Fati's introduction to the fray that played a part in rattling the Bilbao defence.
Fati is a naturally wide player like Neymar. Although still only 17, there were some glimpses from Fati against Bilbao that reminded us of the 28-year-old Brazilian Neymar. Against Sevilla, Setien's side sorely missed Fati, and the Blaugrana paid the price for their manager's mistake that night by dropping two crucial points.
Barcelona must avoid being narrow and predictable because it makes the task easier for their opponents. They just have to pack the midfield in numbers and cut-off passing lanes to Barcelona's centre-forward, a role that was donned by Suarez in the last couple of games.
An ageing Barcelona squad and lack of faith in young players
Against Sevilla, Quique Setien banked on his experienced players to get the three points they needed, but the tactic failed. However, Setien repeated that mistake in the Bilbao match by fielding a very aged team, with a 33-year-old Suarez leading the line.
Under usual circumstances, that may not have been a problem. But with games coming every three days now, it is bound to have an impact, given the high-stakes contests we are witnessing in every match.
Setien needs to show more faith in his younger players, like he did when playing Ronald Araujo for the full ninety minutes against RCD Mallorca on the opening night of La Liga resumption following the COVID-19 outbreak. Of course, Setien had no choice but to play Araujo as Clement Lenglet was unfit. Yet, Araujo repaid his manager's faith with interest by displaying a very mature performance in which he hardly put a foot wrong.
In this regard, we must now talk about the young sensation Riqui Puig. It will not be an exaggeration to say that his introduction in the 56th minute completely changed the complexion of the game. His youthful vigour, energy and dribbling ability revitalised the Barcelona midfield.
In spite of his slight frame, the 20-year-old La Masia graduate won the ball back on several occasions, which added to Barcelona's overall high tempo, and no doubt played a role in the Blaugrana's only goal of the night.
Puig is a versatile player, a youngster with great courage and confidence on the ball. He is not a holding midfielder but a player who relishes running at the defenders. Puig epitomises the Argentinian concept of the engancha, literally a 'hook'; he is a player, who like a hook, enjoins the midfield with attack.
With young players like Puig and Fati at his disposal, it was wasteful on the part of Setien in using neither of the duo in the game against Sevilla where Barcelona put up an underwhelming performance.
Lionel Messi and co's lack of clinical finishing
For the second game in a row, Luis Suarez looked out of sorts, although in the second half against Bilbao, he looked sharper. Still, Suarez needs to put on his shooting boots quickly if he is to dispel all doubts about his form. Finishing has been a problem for him, as it has been for some of the others.
Suarez did not last the entirety of the game against Bilbao and had to be substituted by Martin Braithwaitte.
Even Lionel Messi could not put the ball at the back of the net from positions he is accustomed to scoring.
Ansu Fati had a wonderful chance from a header but he put Suarez's lofted ball over the crossbar. It was his first touch, and the 17-year-old could have added to his already burgeoning reputation by scoring from that opening but it was not to be.
Griezmann had a glorious opportunity as well in the second half, but his first touch let him down, and the Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon did the rest.
This game could well be remembered as the night when Riqui Puig came of age. Rakitic himself is slowly winning back his place and prestige in the Barcelona consciousness. It seems that the COVID-19 break has done him a world of good. The imperious Arturo Vidal was also at his best.
The only element lacking from the Blaugrana's game was goals, and their legions of fans will hope that Setien address this issue quickly.
