Barcelona came from behind to beat Real Sociedad on Saturday as Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez scored in the second half to secure a 2-1 win.
The visitors were in danger of slipping up when Aritz Elustondo put Sociedad in front at the Anoeta.
But the hosts missed a series of excellent chances and paid the price, as two goals in three minutes from Suarez and Dembele clinched a hard-fought 2-1 win.
Here is our report card from the clash.
30 SECOND-REPORT
A perfect start to the season continued in the most flawed manner for Barcelona.
Imperfections raised to surface in defence, they lost their pop in midfield while in attack goalscorers Suarez and Dembele frustrated.
Head coach Ernesto Valverde is not blameless here, either. His tactical tweak to start with a middle three of Rafinha, Sergi Roberto and Ivan Rakitic raised eyebrows and they would later be furrowed such was the ineptitude of the latter two’s dire displays.
That’s the negative, the positive is the visitors came away from the traditionally tricky Anoeta Stadium with three points – although, much of that is thanks to Sociedad.
Goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli quite literally threw away their 1-0 advantage after he twice failed to convincingly clear for the two goals.
The hosts were largely superb, strangling the influence of Lionel Messi. But Lady Luck replaced the GOAT to hand Barca a fortuitous victory.
Honestly just incredible. They have the best 45 minutes of their season, then break away on three separate occasions and fail to score even once. Two set pieces and Geronimo Rulli shows that he isn’t up to standard aerially. Like a little boy chasing paper in the wind.
— Simon Harrison (@simonhfootball) September 15, 2018
THE GOOD
Coutinho – Valverde’s decision to drop the record signing was a surprise, even despite the fact the Brazilian twice played the full quota of minutes for his national side during the international break. When he duly arrived at the interval he made the difference, his box of tricks breaking Sociedad’s resistance as he pulled players out of their defensive shells.
Sociedad’s shape – Asier Illarramendi was a little lucky to remain on the field as his persistent fouling only received one yellow card, but he commanded a midfield which smothered Barca for much of the game. Barca’s success is entwined with prizing open space and attacking it like a virus, but their opponents showed tremendous discipline and energy to shut down opportunities in their 4-5-1 shape.
THE BAD
Semedo – This game was a microcosm for the career of Nelson Semedo during his time with Barca. He was one of a trio of poor performers in the first half, Rafinha and Sergio Roberto the other two, and he was hooked at half-time to add further damage to his confidence. Valverde has never really seemed prepared to go all in on the Portuguese right-back and his pathetic jump in the lead up to Sociedad’s opener will have done him no favours.
Man... Hard thought win, as always at Anoeta but we didn't make it easy for ourselves out there.
— Guardiolista (@LaComputadora14) September 15, 2018
• Roberto is poor as an interior.
• Semedo was a weak link in that first half. I think Valverde is losing patience with him.
• Rakitic can't play as single pivote. Shocking.
The goalkeepers – Admittedly, this author is far from a goalkeeping expert, however, in all three goals, the No1 was a zero. Marc-Andre ter Stegen otherwise had an excellent game but although Aritz Elustondo’s strike was clean and crisp, the German was beaten at his near post and not even close to getting his lead hand in the right spot. His small error pales into comparison when you consider Rulli, though. His statistics will read two errors but they were two assists. For both the corners leading to the goals, he looked like a child trying to slap a lofty pinata. His reputation proceeded him on this occasion.
TACTICAL TURNING POINT
Valverde’s substitutions – When you have Coutinho and Sergio Busquets on your bench – two elite players in their positions – then there is every chance the boss is going to come out looking good if they’re introduced. That proved to be the case for Valverde, who atoned for his initial egregiousness by bringing the two on in the second-half. Busquets provided security and the platform to attack, while Coutinho’s skill replaced that of a quiet Messi. Those substitutions secured victory.
VERDICTS
REAL SOCIEDAD: B-
The home side deserved far more than they ended up with. Were it not for their error-prone goalkeeper that would have been the case. As it is, a deeply positive display from the outfielders has gone to waste.
BARCELONA: C
Taken within the context of the talent in this Barcelona squad, this was a dire display. They were lucky, there’s no escaping that truth and Valverde would be wise to never bench Busquets again.