Seven Deadly Stats as Pique gets another derby goal in Barca's 1-1 draw with Espanyol

Aditya Devavrat 08:21 05/02/2018
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  • Espanyol are Gerard Pique's favourite opponents.

    Barcelona came dangerously close to losing their unbeaten run in La Liga, on a wet, soggy afternoon at the home of local rivals Espanyol.

    Blaugrana’s Catalonian rivals had ended Barcelona’s overall unbeaten start to the season with a win in the Copa del Rey last month, and they looked to be repeating the feat after taking a second-half lead and then keeping Barcelona at bay after that.

    But Gerard Pique’s late header ensured that Barcelona’s bid for an unbeaten league season remains intact, after a 1-1 draw in one of the toughest fixtures Ernesto Valverde’s men have contested this season.

    Here are Seven Deadly Stats from the game:

    BARCELONA’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE WOODWORK

    Barcelona would score their 60th goal of the season in La Liga on Sunday night, in just 22 games, a remarkable feat in itself. But with a little more luck, they could be averaging more than three goals a game. Philippe Coutinho‘s early strike nearly gave him a fantastic maiden goal for the club, but instead it became a sight that has been all too common this season for the Spanish giants: a shot hitting the woodwork.

    Unbeaten start to the league season, runaway favourites for the title already, and yet they can genuinely claim they’ve been unlucky. How scary is that?

    A LONG OVERDUE GOAL

    That unbeaten run was looking precarious when Espanyol grew into the game in the second-half. The hosts hadn’t beaten Barcelona in the league in their last 17 attempts, but for a while it looked like that drought would end on Sunday after Gerard Moreno put Espanyol in front. 

    In the end, the Periquitos had to settle for the end of a different drought, as Moreno brought up a career first. 

    PIQUE LOVES THE DERBY

    It was Pique to the rescue, as the defender’s late header from a Lionel Messi free-kick levelled the scores and earned Barca a creditable draw.

    Pique and Espanyol have long had a prickly relationship, with the Barcelona defender having a history of winding up his local rivals and the Espanyol fans making their own feelings about the player perfectly clear. Again on Sunday, the 31-year-old was subjected to a torrent of abuse from the home fans, but he had the last laugh.

    He does love scoring in the derby – Pique hasn’t scored more than three goals against any other opponent, but he’s prolific against Barcelona’s local rivals.

    MESSI, MR. CONSISTENT

    What’s left to be said about Messi? Even in a game like this, with the pitch practically water-logged and the rain making playing football, especially in the traditional Barcelona way, more or less impossible, the Argentinian was able to illuminate the game with his magic.

    When he came on as a substitute, it instantly seemed like he was playing on a different pitch to everyone else. His dribbling and close control on a day where moving required swimming more than it did running was sublime.

    And when given an opportunity to set up an equaliser, Messi didn’t disappoint. It was a perfectly-struck free-kick for Pique to attack and head home.

    MR. UNSTOPPABLE

    Imagine this: of Barcelona’s 60 league goals this season, Messi has been involved in half. There are still 16 games left to play. 

    It’s only February, but he’s already established himself as the front-runner for the Ballon d’Or. Of course, this being a World Cup year, it’s possible that someone who shines in international football’s showpiece event, or in the Champions League, and does reasonably well the rest of the season – here’s looking at you, Neymar – could steal the crown from under Messi’s nose, but at the moment, the Barcelona man is well out in front. 

    ESPANYOL EARN THEIR DRAW

    Espanyol will feel they deserved a win, although a draw against this Barcelona side – even in conditions which level the playing field and perhaps even give you an advantage – is a creditable result. And this was no backs to the wall job, either. The hosts were good value for their point and negated Barcelona’s high-flying attack, keeping Coutinho and Luis Suarez at arm’s length throughout the contest.

    They’ll be disappointed that it was a set-piece, of all things, that robbed them of a win, but when the set-piece taker is Lionel Messi, then such things can be forgiven. Even if that means having to swallow a Gerard Pique goal on your turf.

    But the way they defended and barely offered Spain’s best attack a sniff at goal will be encouraging for a team that’s languishing in 15th place.

    EVEN FOR BARCA, A NEW HIGH

    This Barcelona team has taken on all comers with a resolve underpinning their stylish play, and it’s shown in games like this, games they could have lost and maybe even deserved to lose, but where they kept fighting and earned a positive result. 

    Credit where it’s due: Valverde has restored the fight that seemed to be missing last season, and although the manager still has his share of critics among the Barcelona faithful, he’s showing in his first season in the Barca dugout that he can build a team of both substance and style. 

    It’s a mark of how good this team is under Valverde that they’ve now broken a record set by the legendary Pep Guardiola Barcelona team. 

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