Valencia CF 2-0 FC Barcelona: Hits and Flops | La Liga 2019-20

Hit: Albert Celades

Celades set out his team to beat the Champions of Spain and they did, in emphatic fashion.

The Valencia manager had it all to do as his side faced the daunting task of hosting Leo Messi & Co. just a week after his side were hammered 4-1 at Mallorca just last Sunday as a follow-up to being knocked out of the Super Cup by Real Madrid.

Valencia are in the Champions League knockout rounds, but only through fortune, and Celades had his men at 8th in the league before this fixture. His credit was running low and he was even booed by a section of his own fans even after his side won their Copa del Rey fixture during the week.

Celades stifled Messi by getting players near him to drop back and deny the Argentine space to hurt Valencia

Tonight, he was without his star man and club captain Dani Parejo (also the club's main penalty taker with 5 in 5 this season) who's out with injury, among other absentees.

With a weakened side and his fans about to turn on him, he orchestrated what can best be described as the ideal gameplan to stifle Barcelona, or any team that plays similarly. He set up two blocks of 4 at the back, with just Maxi Gomez and Kevin Gameiro (and later Rodrigo) were the only ones who stayed forward.

They let Barcelona have the ball but didn't let them pass it through their backline, and on the rare occasion it did find it's way through it was swatted away by the defense or the goalkeeper. A tactical masterclass.