It was not meant to be for Barcelona against Atletico Madrid last night at Montjuic.
The Catalans put up a valiant fight and played like true winners but just could not get past the finish line as they slumped to a third straight defeat at home.
Pedri opened the scoring for Barcelona in the opening half and gifted his side the lead heading into half-time. However, Atletico Madrid capitalised on their one chance to level the scores after the break before finding a late winner in the dying seconds of the game.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points from the team’s defeat to Los Rojiblancos.
Football can be cruel
Barcelona were punished by Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Barcelona enjoyed the bright side of football at the beginning of the season and were considered one of Europe’s most daunting sides as the attack barely missed any chance to score.
The forwards led the team from the front, converting their chances and overperforming their xG time and time again to prove themselves as one of world football’s most effective forward trios.
All of a sudden, however, the same attacking department has turned out to be their biggest bane as they simply do not seem to be able to deposit the ball into the back of the net.
Over the past few games, the Catalans have been poor in front of goal and the defeat to Leganes was the perfect example of a game they lost simply because they could not finish their chances.
Last night, once more, Barcelona were the better side by far but simply were unlucky to drop three points.
Hansi Flick’s tactics were on point against Atletico Madrid as Barcelona dominated the game to the point it appeared one-sided in the first half.
They were the ones creating chances more regularly and of better quality and should have been at least three goals clear by the half-time mark.
After the break, their dominance largely continued and they created chance after chance only for everything to go begging. Two moments for the Colchoneros, in the end, saw the result slip away from them.
The defeat last night can only be called undeserved and unlucky, and it is clear that football sometimes can be very cruel.
Pedri’s night of wizardry
Pedri opened the scoring for Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Irrespective of the victo and how the result skews the opinion on an otherwise beautiful display from Barcelona, it is clear that Pedri deserves his flowers for what was one of his best-ever showings in the Blaugrana colours.
The Canary Islander participated against Los Rojiblancos from start to finish, and to call him the team’s most influential player on the night would be an understatement.
For starters, he was the only Barcelona player who managed to score past Jan Oblak on what was a perfect night for the Atletico Madrid shot-stopper.
Apart from his opening goal, however, he was sublime in every aspect of the game throughout the 90 minutes.
Pedri played the opening half as part of the double pivot alongside Marc Casado and helped Barcelona dominate the midfield battle and maintain possession with ease.
His efficient ball circulation and ability to choose the right moments to push forward helped the Catalans open the visitors’ defence with ease and his quality was visible every time he got on the ball.
After the break, he was shifted soon into the attacking midfield role and shone even brighter in the position. Free from defensive duties, he was able to orchestrate the attack directly and break the defence with his pinpoint passes.
The result may go down in a bad light for the club, but there is a silver lining for sure in Pedri’s sensational showing.
Halfway through and nowhere close
Barcelona have squandered their lead. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
19 games down, 19 more to go. Barcelona are perfectly halfway through the La Liga campaign and their start to the season has been nowhere close to what was expected.
Despite a flying initial spell under Hansi Flick, the Blaugrana have fallen flat on their face in recent weeks. Poor luck and poor quality in equal measure are behind the slump in form and they have now well and truly given up their lead at the top.
Once close to nine points clear at the top, they are now in second place and by some distance. Last night’s defeat comes as a huge blow to their campaign and hands Los Rojiblancos a sizeable lead.
Heading into the second half of the season, the Catalans are on 38 points, three points behind Atletico Madrid who even have a game in hand to potentially extend their lead to six points.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, can cross Barcelona and reach 40 points tonight and can pull five points clear if they win their game in hand scheduled for the first week of January.
Barcelona may thus be five points behind the second-placed team come their next game in La Liga.
Moreover, the gutting last-minute defeat last night is the worst possible way to sign off from 2024. One can hope for better luck after Christmas but the chances of a comeback no longer appear as simple.