All was well for Barcelona – that is until their second Champions League fixture, against Paris Saint-Germain. Seven games into the campaign and yet to concede a goal, it seemed as if their outing against a Zlatan-less Paris Saint-Germain would be nothing more than a regulation match. But for the Catalans, who, thus far, had strolled passed their opposition with relative ease, it was a step in the wrong direction.
Disorganised and unsynchronised, Luis Enrique’s men never looked comfortable on the pitch. And despite their promising start to the season which currently sees them on top of the Primera table, after in wins against Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao and Granada, and a bunch of new faces, the side that took to the pitch was the Barcelona of last season. Their defence was woeful, their attack sterile.
From the outset, La Blaugrana’s defence came under intense pressure. With arguably their finest footballer missing, and with nothing to lose, PSG took to placing their opponents on the back foot. Their high press once they lost the ball meant that Barca, famed for their seamless passing play, were often unable to get out of their own half.
Exhibit A: Sergio Busquets often found himself caught in possession which led to unnecessary turn overs. Jordi Alba and Dani Alves also found themselves in similar situations as they attempted to find space when very little of it was afforded. What transpired were chances to shoot on goal. On another night, the score line may have been greater.
Jeremy Mathieu, who, until now, had been a revelation, was far from his usual best. Unable to exert his dominance at the back, as he has often managed to do this season, the Frenchman was slow and sluggish, overrun on multiple occasions. Indeed, fatigue may have played its part which in turn begs the question of why the likes of Gerard Pique or Marc Bartra were not handed opportunities.
There was no reprieve at the other end of the field either. The midfield was laborious at best and Lionel Messi often found himself doing most of the creative work, bar Barca’s first goal. Ivan Rakitic was well below par and was rarely offered the time and space to work his magic. The wingers too toiled to no avail and failed to provide much width to Barca’s one-dimensional attack.
Ironically, it was two of Barcelona’s summer defensive targets who shined and showed why more should have been done to purchase talents. David Luiz, long linked with a move to Camp Nou, was a wall in defence, not to mention dangerous in set-pieces as he scored the Parisians’ first. Marquinhos too impressed, and spectacularly blocked a goal-bound Alba shot to deny the visitors.
If their first defeat is anything to go by, Barcelona have yet to find an answer to the issues which have plagued them throughout the past few seasons. In their initial big test of the season, Barca failed to show their mettle. With so much of the season left to play, though, this could be the wakeup call Enrique’s troops needed.
