UEFA Champions League: FC Barcelona 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur - 5 Talking Points

#3 Barcelona's young team is understandably disjointed

A team that is not gelled together by any means. Barcelona showed lack of cohesion and understandably so

Ernesto Valverde threw in a cocktail against Tottenham. He fielded a team with both experienced players and youngsters which included a B team player, first team regulars and the first team bench players. Although the line-up did not look that bad on paper, on the pitch it was not a Barcelona team.

This was one of the few occasions when Barcelona had less possession than their opponent. The attacking that Barcelona was able to throw at the Spurs came largely from their two wingers, Dembele and Coutinho. No other player was much involved in the attacks including an underwhelming Munir who only got 19 touches of the ball.

The passing game of Barcelona was not on display, the midfield did not control the game as it should have done and the game was more end-to-end that total domination from Barcelona. The second half delivered far-more chances to Spurs that it did for Barcelona. Their defence despite the lack of playing together somehow held on as Spurs kept pushing for the goal.

There were far more opportunities for Barcelona to hit Spurs had the players put an eye up and looked. Due to overly committing towards attack, Spurs' defence was wide open and Messi's presence during the early stages of the second half could have exposed Spurs. The youngsters, Alena and Miranda could not do that when they had opportunities.

Still, this game is a win for Barcelona despite the draw. They rested their key players, they gave exposure to their bench players in the biggest stage and they gave Miranda a taste of the big leagues. This would do a world of wonder for the confidence of the players.