Five things to think about as Barça bag big win
Barcelona 1-0 Atlético Madrid - La Liga
For the first time in what feels like forever, Barcelona have won a big game with a convincing performance from start to finish! They confidently dispatched Atlético Madrid 1-0 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
This shouldn’t necessarily be a surprise. If there’s one game that you can trust Barcelona to win, it’s Atleti at home. Diego Simeone’s men haven’t won away to Barça since 2006 when both managers Cholo and Xavi were players (albeit Simeone had left Atleti the year before).
But for Barcelona, a side who have had their struggles to marry performance and result (their best display was probably in El Clásico, which they somehow lost 1-2) and who have kind of sucked lately, it represented a huge step in the right direction after some sloppy nonsense had seen them fall 8 points behind league leaders Real Madrid and Girona.
Here are five thoughts from the game:
1. Joao Felix’s dream display could kickstart his Barcelona career
If you were writing a script for this game, then Joao Felix opening the scoring against his former club (remember: he’s only at Barcelona on loan!) to cap an excellent individual performance is so obvious it would be cliché.
Yet that’s exactly what happened!
Joao Felix has played well for Barcelona before. He’s scored for Barcelona before. But rarely has he combined it all into one complete performance as he did tonight.
He tracked back well, he dribbled with penetrative authority and put the entire Atleti defence on edge, and when his chance came he didn’t snatch at it as he has been doing lately, powering efforts into the stratosphere.
Tonight when he got the ball from Raphinha he pulled it away from Nahuel Molina then deftly lifted it over the onrushing Jan Oblak. He could have had a second, too, when his toe poke was saved by the Slovenian.
It was superb, everything he did was superb, and he was rightly applauded when he was subbed off. The question now becomes whether this performance can kick-start his Barcelona career to truly begin.
2. Kounde is a reluctantly fabulous full-back
Last season, Barcelona’s title win was built on their formidable defensive quartet (and goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen) that included Jules Kounde out of position at right-back.
Kounde did not enjoy playing there (as Xavi often reminded us) but did so to help the team. So this season, with the arrival of Joao Cancelo, he’s gotten his wish and played centre-back. And until his injury, he did well! But since returning from injury he’s not been quite as sharp, especially with Araujo at right-back.
So tonight, Xavi put Kounde back where he didn’t want to be, and the result was a transformative display from the Barcelona back-line.
With Ronald Araujo, the team and league’s best centre-back, actually at centre-back, Atleti didn’t even have a shot on target until deep into the second-half.
More impressively, with Jules Kounde at right-back, Barcelona were so much more comfortable on the ball. Kounde’s incredible agility and ability to make short, sharp passes make him so much more suited to playing wide on the right. He defended his flank well and drove it up the field too with smart play dovetailing with Raphinha. He could even have had an assist after one particularly phenomenal cross!
Jules Kounde may not like playing as a right-back, but it is a position that almost perfectly suits his skill-set when playing for a ball-dominant side like Barcelona. A naturally adventurous player, Kounde is unleashed out wide while also providing Xavi with the defensive balance he wants in the 3-2-2-3 shape.
It’s no coincidence that, with Kounde back on the right and Araujo in the middle, Barcelona recorded a solid and secure clean sheet and won 1-0 once again.
3. Big Game Gundogan can guide Barcelona to greatness
Ilkay Gundogan was probably Barcelona’s best (or second-best, after Gavi) performer in El Clásico. He dominated the game for an hour, and looked more crushed than anyone when the game turned on Barça.
“I didn't come here to lose this type of game,” he exclaimed after the 1-2 defeat. Calling out his team to maintain the proper mentality from start to finish.
Ironically, since making those statements, Gundogan has played pretty poorly bar a couple of magic passes. However today against Atleti, Gundogan was at his resplendent best. Operating as the side’s defensive midfielder, the German international ran the show alongside Pedri and Frenkie de Jong.
Gundogan displayed all his veteran genius. He knew just when to accelerate the tempo, when to push and press off the ball, when to rotate possession. He had 113 touches, completed 88/100 passes and had 2 big chances created. He should have had at least one assist!
This was Big Game Gundogan unleashed to his fullest. The world-class Treble-winning midfielder that Barcelona somehow signed on a free transfer this summer. Pedri and De Jong are miraculous footballers, but with Gundogan’s experience, if they can keep him healthy, he could guide them to greatness.
4. Not great, Bob!
The reason Gundogan didn’t have an assist is because when he put Robert Lewandowski clean through on goal, the Polish striker took a sloppy touch and allowed Axel Witsel to get back and win the ball.
The reason Jules Kounde didn’t have an assist is because when he fizzed in a great cross from the right, Robert Lewandowski smashed a volley wide when under very little pressure from the defence.
The reason Raphinha didn’t… ok you get the point.
What’s funny is that Lewandowski actually played quite well in general. His link play was sharp and he didn’t spend all his time dropping deep as he has done recently.
But his finishing was absolutely atrocious. As it has been for much of the season. Lewandowski has scored just 7 goals in La Liga this season, 2 of which have been penalties. He’s scored just twice in the last 10 games for Barcelona.
Overall in La Liga this season, Lewandowski has 6.1 npxG but just 5 non-penalty goals. Even if you give him the penalties it’s 7 goals from 7.6 xG, which for an elite striker like Lewandowski is disappointing.
Is it poor form? Is he finished? It can’t be a lack of service because he had plenty of that today and still failed to produce anything.
With teenage striking sensation Vitor Roque confirmed to be arriving in Barcelona for the new year. This is the worst possible time for Lewandowski to be losing form. Right now the lack of alternative keeps him in the side. Soon, there will be a serious alternative and the time for the Polish striker as an undisputed starter could be over!
5. Iñaki Peña stands and delivers
Let’s end on a good note.
With Marc-André Ter Stegen missing his third straight game after the international break, Iñaki Peña started for Barcelona against Atleti.
The young goalkeeper had done well on his previous starts against Alavés and Shakhtar, though he was clearly no Ter Stegen.
Well, today, Iñaki Peña actually did a good impression of the German!
He came off his line when he had to, made solid passes when he had to (including a couple of lofted beauties that would have made Ter Stegen proud) and although Atleti didn’t trouble him until late in the game, when he had to he produced two massive saves to keep Simeone’s men out, preserving Barcelona’s clean sheet and victory.
His first save was particularly outrageous; diving across his goal to palm a brilliant Memphis Depay free-kick onto the post.
This is the kind of performance from Iñaki Peña that shows he’s a quality goalkeeper. The kind of performance that will allow Xavi to show trust in him no matter the opponent. The kind of performance that means Barcelona aren’t panicking and rushing to bring Ter Stegen back from injury and can focus on fully healing him, knowing that Iñaki Peña is more than capable of keeping goal for them.