Within the space of two matches, Barcelona have demonstrated their vulnerable worst and their mesmeric best. Against Manchester City where they lost 3-1, the Catalan club, despite grabbing the lead, were outplayed for much of the match and made to pay for missed chances. On the other hand, the Blaugrana demonstrated the resilience needed to come from 1-0 down, to dominate, and eventually kill off their rivals in an exciting 2-1 win over Sevilla. Worryingly for Luis Enrique, the frequency of individual mistakes from some of the club's inexperienced players at crucial times, have proven to be costly. Of late, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets and Lucas Digne have been the main perpetrators. Busquets, in the absence of Andres Iniesta in midfield, has looked increasingly vulnerable in both defence and attack and has been guilty of giving the ball away cheaply.
Sergi Roberto's form has also been patchy at best after a great start to the season, and his error at Sevilla allowed Vitolo a one-on-one opportunity to score the opener. At least Lionel Messi's resurgence following his injury bodes well for Enrique's men. The Argentine superstar dominated the opening 40 minutes of their clash with City before putting in a second-half masterclass against the Andalusians to lead the fightback. Aiding him has been the impressive performances of the club's two Suarez's - Luis and Denis - whilst Neymar looks eager to return to the peak of his powers once again.
Comments
Post a Comment