Barcelona ease past Atletico Madrid: 3 things we learned
A fantastic goal from Lionel Messi was enough for Barcelona to see off Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou. Here are three things we learned from the game.
Sunday was a big day for Spanish soccer as league leaders Barcelona faced off against second-place Atletico Madrid. The Catalans were able to expand their five point lead out to eight after a 1-0 win at the Camp Nou. Here are three things we learned from the game.
No hay La Liga
The Spanish press was rife with its favorite catchphrase in the lead up to this game. When there’s a tight title race or if, in this case, the league leaders drop some points that allow the chasing pack into the title equation, the media and fans in Spain say “hay La Liga” or “there is a league” (if you shout it, you’ll see why they’re so fond of it).
After Sunday’s mega clash, it’s unlikely we’ll be saying “hay La Liga” until August, with Barcelona pulling clear of Atleti at the top of the table. The league title is very much theirs to lose. Between now and the end of the season, the focus will be on if Barcelona can become the first ever Spanish Invincibles. The Catalans are still unbeaten heading into the last 11 games of the season, but making history won’t be easy for Ernesto Valverde’s side with some tricky fixtures still to come, including a El Clasico on the third last matchday of the season.
600 goals for Messi
Messi was as crucial as ever for the home side on Sunday. Barcelona’s number 10 opened the scoring from a free-kick, his 600th career goal for club and country. The Argentine is having a truly astonishing league campaign this season; he has been involved in 35 goals (23 goals, 12 assists) in La Liga this season, accounting for half of all of Barcelona’s league goals so far.
Even fouls outside the box can’t seem to stop him. His free-kick against Atleti was his fifth free-kick goal of the season and marked the third consecutive game in which he’s scored from a free-kick, a new record in Spain.
Should Barcelona win La Liga from their current position, it will be in no small part down to the mesmeric Messi, who has shown up time and time again for the Blaugrana this season.
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Atleti need to be more positive
Heading to the Camp Nou this Sunday, Atletico Madrid hadn’t won a league match against Barcelona in eight years. Diego Simeone has been in charge for all but one of those games during that time. Criticizing Simeone is a tricky business. He’s brought Atleti back from the dead in many ways, and their numerous achievements over the course of the last decade fall very much at the feet of El Cholo.
However, Simeone got his tactics wrong today and not for the first time. Atleti lined up with their classic two banks of four, while Diego Costa and Antione Griezmann were tasked with providing Los Rojiblancos with some attacking venom. For the entire first 45 minutes, Atletico Madrid handed Barcelona possession, sat back and attempted to counter on the home side.
The tactic, as has been the case for many years now, was completely ineffective. Griezmann and Costa were isolated and managed just a single shot in the whole first half. Unsurprisingly, Barcelona were more than comfortable with possession and Atleti’s superb defense struggled under the pressure.
Only after Messi opened the scoring did the away side look to take the game to Barca, at which stage it was too late. There’s a thin line between a counter-attacking scheme and parking the bus. Too often Atletico Madrid are the latter when it comes to games like these. Simeone’s game plan has worked against Barcelona — he’s knocked them out of the Champions League twice in the last four years — but in league fixtures, where their isn’t a second leg, his tactics have been shown up continuously.
Atletico Madrid deserve credit for being in the title equation this season, but if they actually want to start winning titles, they need to show a lot more attacking verve in these games.