Life After Messi: 4 Talking Points From Barca's Opener Against Sociedad

 TALKING POINTS FROM BARCA 4-2 SOCIEDAD

-Mitansh Kagalwala

Photo via fcbarcelonanoticias

FOUR TALKING POINTS FROM BARCA'S PROMISING WIN AGAINST REAL SOCIEDAD:

1.      1. THE MESSI MINUTE: The way Lionel Messi’s exit unfolded was unexpected, extremely quick,        and heartbreaking. The Barca faithful didn’t get to say goodbye, and Leo Messi didn’t get his               standing ovation from the Camp Nou like Iniesta and Xavi did. He will most likely get a statue             outside the stadium, but that will take time, considering Barca had to dive for couch-change to               register their free agent signings. In a time like this, Barca fans decided to honor the legendary               Argentine in their own, singing Messi’s name in the tenth minute of each home game, for the entire        season. Gracias Leo!

2.      2. MORE THAN LEO: For all Leo Messi’s legendary qualities, there was one thing missing from his      game: defensive presence and work rate. Though Lionel Messi made up for his lack of pressing in          goal contributions ten-fold, this lack of high pressing developed an instability in Barca’s off the ball      work. With Messi in the team, Barca were predictable, constantly looking for the Argentine to work        his magic. This new Barca attack, however, looked fluid and dynamic, easily switching between            positions and causing the Sociedad defense all kinds of problems. They pressed high up the pitch,        harassed the Sociedad defenders to no end, and their defense work rate was phenomenal. There were     several occasions when at least one of Braithwaite, Depay or Griezmann were tracking back, and            putting in crunching challenges to win the ball back. Their link up play with the midfield was                excellent, and Barca played with a sort of balance and flair that was absent in previous seasons. In          the 10th minute of the 2nd half, when a few cries of “Messi, Messi” rang out, they were ferociously        answered by loud yells of “Barca, Barca”, truly echoing the message that president Laporta and            Messi himself had said: Barca is bigger than any one player, and Barca will move on.

Photo via sportskeeda

3.    3. DEFENCE ISSUES RESOLVED? The biggest problem Barca had last season was a leaky defense     that conceded goals left, right and center. Solving these defense issues has been a problem for Barca      that has not been addressed since Mascherano left, until now. Based on yesterday’s defensive                showing (yes, a match with a weakened Real Sociedad is not much to go on, but still), Barca are in        for a much better campaign this time around, defensively. Barca’s defenders kept their shape                brilliantly, pressed high up into enemy territory, and recovered the ball with high intensity. New            signing Eric Garcia, returning from Man City, looked right at home in the Barca backline. It was his     excellent interception which won the ball back for the second goal. His raw pace helped solve the        defense’s issues with dealing with counter-attacks as well. Gerard Pique, in his own traditional,            heroic style, not only scored the opener and took a salary cut to allowed Depay and Garcia to be            registered for the game, but was also brilliant in defense. However, late in the game, as Barca are            wont to do, they slacked off, and conceded two goals in the last ten minutes. The first goal was due to     bad positioning on the part of Pique and Emerson, while the second goal came from a freekick that        should never have been awarded in the first place. Nevertheless, things are looking up, and with            Mingueza coming back from injury, Barca’s defense looks better than it ever has.         

     4. THE KIT LOOKS TERRIBLE: It just does. Just take a look at it. Half-blue and half-red shorts. We      don't what Nike were thinking with this one                        





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