Defensive disaster and Lionel Messi's 700th game ruined among Barcelona talking points

Matt Jones - Editor 00:38 27/09/2018
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  • Barcelona dropped points for the second game in succession as they deservedly fell to a 2-1 defeat to La Liga’s then bottom side Leganes.

    All seemed well for the visitors – for whom Lionel Messi was featuring in his 700th game for the Blaugrana – when Philippe Coutinho excellently gave them the lead.

    But after a bright beginning they faded in the second half as Mauricio Pellegrino’s men impressed – twice picking off Barca’s defensive errors to level through Nabil El Zhar and then go ahead through Oscar Rodriguez.

    Barca predictably pushed but apart from Ivan Cuellar’s mesmeric double save from Coutinho and then Ivan Rakitic, Ernesto Valverde’s side were well beaten.

    ANOTHER FINE MESSI

    Leganes

    Barcelona are a star-studded team and Messi is the greatest player probably ever to lace up a pair of boots.

    But this game was further evidence that if the little magician doesn’t fully fire, those around him can alarmingly fail to conjure a way to win.

    The diminutive Argentina forward buzzed all around in the beginning of this encounter, making his mark with an assist for Coutinho’s opener. It was some goal from the brilliant Brazilian, who looked as if he had miscontrolled Messi’s ball into him before blasting a volley that spun off the outside of his right boot and bent brilliantly away from the excellent Cuellar in the home goal.

    It should have been the catalyst to halt what had been an encouraging opening from the basement boys.

    But while the away side may have been playing in luminous yellow, that was their one bright spell as they faded into the shadows thereafter.

    Leganes were determined and energetic and the game was sprinkled with fine performances from the likes of veteran Cuellar, former Liverpool youngster El Zhar and Real Madrid loanee Rodriguez.

    It’s hard to believe they were bottom coming into this. But the Cucumber Growers certainly rose to the occasion and will now hope a seed has been planted that this is the start of their season.

    MORE NEEDED FROM MUNIR

    Munir

    Munir El Haddadi’s inclusion was the main point of discussion when the teams were read out, the 23-year-old starting instead of the out of form Luis Suarez in the central striking role.

    Even considering his spluttering strike rate of just three goals in eight games for Barca this season – taking into account two of those were scored in an 8-2 rout of Huesca, and his second was bequeathed to him by hat-trick hunting Messi in the 93rd minute – his place wasn’t placed under much threat by the once-capped Spain forward.

    He struggled to make any impact on proceedings. There was one ball over the top from Coutinho that he couldn’t quite bring down for an effort on goal while he earlier strayed offside, halting a move from which Messi that could well have made it 2-0.

    He had no shots or key passes, his 79.2-per-cent pass success rate was the worst of any starting team-mate and his 30 touches was 12 fewer than Thomas Vermaelen and Marc-Andre ter Stegen (the next lowest of the starting XI). Substitute Jordi Alba, who played 39 minutes fewer, had four less touches.

    Must do better.

    NO CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

    Pique

    Valverde’s reshuffle had ruinous repercussions as the team from the Madrid suburb did their neighbours and Barca’s title rivals a huge favour.

    A defence containing a patched up Vermaelen – literally, the Belgian wore a gargantuan plaster on his forehead – hardly screamed stability and as the dogged hosts kept pace with the visiting juggernaut, eventually cracks began to appear.

    Sergi Roberto, Samuel Umtiti and Vermaelen were all culpable for El Zhar’s equaliser. Roberto didn’t track the run of Jonathan Silva whose wonderful floated cross got Umtiti in a twist and allowed El Zhar to guide in his header after evading the clutches of the statuesque Vermaelen.

    Not content with escaping any blame for the equaliser, Gerard Pique must have felt left out of the blame game so took it upon himself to gift the hosts the lead – a goal all of Spaniard’s own making.

    First, he was the only member of the back four who didn’t push up as Youssef En Nesyri beat the offside trap. He recovered to thwart the Moroccan’s path to goal but then inexplicably presented the ball to Oscar with a plumb pass right into his path, which the Real loanee gleefully smashed home.

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