Post-Match Analysis of Valladolid vs. Barça

A match predicted to be a thumping for Real Valladolid ended up only with one goal to decide the victors of the match. A 57^th minute goal by French forward Ousmane Dembélé handed Barcelona the win on Sunday. A goal set up by right-back Sergi Roberto, as he headed the ball into Dembélé’s feet for a first-time finish.

However, some people would say that the real savior for the Blaugrana club was VAR. The Virtual Assistant Referee came into use in the 93^rd minute of the match, as Valladolid’s late effort was disallowed due to it being offside. Otherwise, the match was somewhat openly contested throughout the 90 minutes, with Valladolid having seven shots to Barça’s ten.

Valladolid’s home ground Estadio José Zorrilla was a total mess, as the pitch’s layer of artificial grass would tear out. This was a sign that the match conditions were improper and needed imminent attention. Barcelona center-back Gerard Piqué even went on to say that the playing conditions were “a disgrace”. The La Liga Board are looking in to this matter to resolve this muddle, so that it is not repeated in the future.

Nevertheless, a second win in the domestic season sees Barça secure second spot, just behind Real Madrid on goal difference. Whereas Valladolid sit on 14^th, with only a single point from two matches. It’s still early days and any number of teams can finish as number one. As this match shows Barca will have to work hard every match of the way. Let’s see what happens in the future, as the season progresses.

 

(I’ve used Wikipedia, Bleacher Report and Playing for 90 for my facts and figures.)

Post-Match Analysis of Barça vs. Alavés

FC Barcelona start the season strong, as they hosted Deportivo Alavés in the Camp Nou, with an attendance of over 53,000 fans. Barcelona started in the well-known 4-4-2 formation, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez up top. The formation would change to a 4-3-3 from time to time, with French youngster Ousmane Dembélé filling in the left-wing position. Whereas on the other hand, Alavés hardly attacked for the ball and preferred to sit back, having only 3 shots the whole match; compared to Barça’s prolific 25.

Barça also dominated in terms of possession, with 79% of the ball with them, alongside an 89% passing accuracy. Alavés’ 4-5-1 formation was effective, but was eventually going to break down, as they were able to reach half-time without conceding. However, fast-forward an hour, and Barcelona have won the match 3-0; a brace for Messi and one for Coutinho. It could’ve been a staggering four goals for Leo Messi on the night, as he hit the woodwork twice.

It seems to be the perfect start to the season, as Barcelona will be looking to push on all fronts: to defend the title i.e. La Liga, and push for the possibility of a treble-winning season. Ernesto Valverde has gotten his side to a solid start. Let’s see how well he can maintain that.

 

(I’ve used Wikipedia for my facts and figures.)

Post-Match Analysis of Milan vs. Barcelona: ICC

A very one-sided match, if one excludes the goals, was the case today. A 93^rd minute goal by A.C. Milan striker André Silva secured the three points for the Rossoneri, but in my opinion it wasn’t deserved. Barça dominated the match throughout the 90 minutes, taking 20 shots to Milan’s 8 in the process. Topple that off by 70% possession, alongside nine corners to Milan’s two.

Barcelona played some very attractive football, creating multiple goal-scoring opportunities. However, Ernesto Valverde’s men were lacking the final product. Milan on the other hand looked to do the damage on the counter, not too much of a threat in terms of building up play. New Barça signing Malcom came very close to scoring in the first half, his shot being deflected and eventually ending up hitting the post.

Aside from that, in the second half Barcelona almost got a penalty for a clear foul on Rafinha, but the referee was not interested. Milan looked to stop Barça in their tracks in the same way, conceding 22 fouls; a clear mark of frustration shown by the Italian side. Anyways, this leaves Barça on the bottom of the table in the 2018 International Champions Cup. Better luck next time.

Both teams will now be focusing on the upcoming season. A.C. Milan have a match on the 19^th, against Genoa C.F.C. in the Serie A. Barça’s next contest is against Sevilla in the Supercopa de España on the 13^th. Both teams will now go back to Italy and Spain respectively to train for these matches.

Make sure to comment down below which team/match you want me to cover next. To read more, check around the website for more football related content.

 

(I’ve used Wikipedia and FootballMinds – YouTube for my facts and figures.)