3️⃣ TALKING POINTS AS BARCA BEAT ATLETICO MADRID IN THRILLER
TALKING POINTS FROM BARCA 4-2 ATLETICO
- Mitansh Kagalwala
Barca took
on Atleti at home in a pulsating encounter, eventually emerging 4-2 victors
after a determined performance. Yannick Carrasco gave Atleti the lead with a
superb shot past Ter Stegen, before Alba equalized just moments later with a
ridiculous volley from the edge of the box. Excellent work from new signing
Adama Traore down the wing allowed Gavi to head Barca into the lead, before
Araujo and Dani Alves volleyed in for Barca either side of half time. In the
second half though, Atleti piled on the pressure, resulting in Luis Suarez
pulling a goal back for the Los Rojiblancos on his return to Barca territory,
before Dani Alves was sent off, reducing Barca to 10-men. Barca held out,
however, meaning they leapfrog the Madrid side into a Champions League spot.
This is what we made of it:
1. Barca’s New Signings: Fans of the Blaugrana were hopeful
for this game, hoping to get a glimpse of Barca’s new signings, and they
weren’t disappointing. It was Barca’s January signings who made the difference
in the end for the Catalans in the game. Adama Traore was probably Barca’s best
player, troubling the Atletico defence to no end. Dani Alves was brilliant as
well, scoring and assisting, before being sent off. Ferran Torres retained
possession well, and was smart to make sure Ronald Araujo was onside for the
third goal, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a good showing as well.
2. Old Problems: Both Barcelona and Atletico fans
must be exhausted by their teams making the same mistakes repeatedly.
Barcelona’s lack of composure was apparent, as they were slammed to the wall by
Atleti in the second half. Dani Alves was sent off for a senseless tackle on
Yannick Carrasco; not something you would expect from the 38-year old veteran.
Barca fans must be praying for just one game which doesn’t give them heart
attacks. Atletico, on the other hand, remain uncharacteristically weak
defensively, conceding four against Barca.
3. Barca are back? For the first time in a while,
Barca looked back to their vintage self. The passing was crisp and purposeful,
the defence solid for the most part, and the attack threatening to score every
time they went forward. In just the short time he’s been at the helm, Xavi has
done a splendid job with the Catalans, which can be seen in the difference
between the 2 Barca-Atleti games. Xavi has managed to bring the best out of
several of his players: Frenkie De Jong and Pedri had their best games in
recent weeks.
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