Barcelona slumped to a shocking second defeat in three match days in La Liga last night as they fell to a 1-2 defeat to Las Palmas at Montjuic.
The Catalans were indeed far from their best on the night. With Lamine Yamal unfit to start and Marc Casado out, the lineup was relatively fresh and more so after Alejandro Balde was forced off the field early.
Las Palmas took the early lead in the second half but Barcelona pulled one back through Raphinha near the hour mark. A defensive lapse, however, helped the visitors go front once more and Barcelona never got back in the game.
The Blaugrana had a clear penalty denied and a lot will be said about the referee’s mistake in the coming days for it is now becoming a norm.
Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Barcelona 1-2 Las Palmas.
Casado’s absence proves costly
Marc Casado was suspended against Las Palmas. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Marc Casado’s red card against Celta Vigo cost the team two points as they immediately slumped to a 2-2 draw in a matter of minutes.
Suspended from action last night, the youngster’s absence was again sorely felt as the team lacked control and security in midfield without the La Masia starlet.
Indeed, a lot was said about the Gavi-Pedri double pivot and how it would function as a remembrance of the Xavi-Iniesta combination. However, it became clear early on that the double pivot with the two Golden Boys had fundamental flaws.
Neither player particularly put a foot wrong against Las Palmas, but their cohesion as a duo did not offer the defensive stability that Casado brings to the park.
As a result, the Canary Islands-based side found it easier to break on counterattacks and play through the middle with relatively little resistance.
Last night’s clash does not belittle Gavi or Pedri for they both played decently. But it just goes to show how good Casado is in his position and how he is indispensable in Hansi Flick’s setup. No player in the squad can replace his impact.
The freefall in La Liga continues
Barcelona are winless in their last three La Liga matches. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
It is utterly unacceptable for Barcelona to throw away eight of their last nine points in La Liga, but that is all it takes in the league to go from supreme to vulnerable.
Just about a month ago, there appeared to be no competition for the league title as Barcelona were cruising to wins and taking home three points for fun. The win over Real Madrid was supposed to be the moment they peaked and kept the momentum.
What has followed, however, is an abysmal run of results and the team has virtually given away its entire lead at the top of the table. Real Madrid can now take over as the leaders if they win their two games in hand.
To throw eight of the last nine points in La Liga is simply unacceptable and a lot of questions must be asked for the team is unable to sustain even without one of the regular starting names.
More importantly, with managers now finding the antidote against Flick’s Barcelona, the pressure mounts on the manager to start finding alternate solutions and winning tactical battles with the right adjustments.
Who is to be blamed?
Hansi Flick is under pressure now. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
With a poor run of results, undoubtedly, comes an immediate round of pointing fingers and pushing blame.
At this point, it is thus vital to introspect on whose fault the team’s sudden downfall in La Liga is down to or whether it is happening without any single party’s fault.
For starters, questions cannot be raised about the players who have been giving their best and dominating games to a decent extent.
Indeed they are not as superior as they were a month ago, but there is also the fact that the team significantly overperformed on xG, took every half-chance and played the offside trap to perfection last month.
With fatigue naturally setting in and the calendar providing no respite, it is natural that they are unable to be as clinical and that they are being more exposed.
Concurrently, however, the manager cannot be blamed either for his man-management, use of fringe players and dynamics have been perfect.
What has changed is that the players are no longer fresh and the hiccup was always expected from the highly-demanding system.
It is thus imperative that Barcelona only take the last three league games as a small lapse in concentration and do not get into blame games. If they utilise it to fire themselves up, the coming weeks can once again bring joy to fans.