The visitors arrived in Catalonia ahead of this fixture without a win in 13 games, rock bottom of the league table and eight points from safety.
Pedri’s midweek injury, the not-at-all convincing manner of Barca’s victory in Prague, and their disappointing loss to Real Sociedad last weekend, hinted at this fixture potentially being more of a banana skin if Hansi Flick’s players didn’t have their minds on the job in hand.
That said, nine home wins this season, seven of which were by two or more goals, meant that if Oviedo were even going to get so much as a point from this game, they’d have to play their best game of the season, and Barca their worst.
Let’s take a look at three things that affected the outcome of this one…
A special finish from a special player
(Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Goals win games of course, and Barca’s two before Lamine Yamal’s incredible strike had, belatedly, taken the game away from the visitors.
However, the scissor kick from the Catalans’ young talisman was well worth waiting for.
What made it extra special was that Dani Olmo’s cross was floating away from Lamine as he went airborne to smash it back from whence it came and into the net.
Such technical finishes are reserved for the very best, and is another feather in the cap of a player who is surely destined to be crowned as the world’s best at some point soon.
A game of two halves
(Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Notwithstanding Barca’s urgency after the break - long overdue it must be said - the first 45 minutes was an exercise in attitude and application from Oviedo.
They certainly weren’t fazed by the size of the task ahead of them, and took the game to the Blaugranes for the most part.
Barca’s players looked jaded and, only briefly showed the dynamism and energy that are a prerequisite of playing for this club.
How many more times are the first-team players going to be that complacent when they think a game will be a walk in the park?
Fortunately, things were much improved after the break, but it shouldn’t take a team that’s not won in 13 games to show Barcelona the way.
Casado: A fish out of water?
(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Getty Images
We’ve debated the merits of players needing a decent amount of minutes to find their rhythm in this blog before, but it should still be incumbent on those players to give everything when handed an opportunity.
It’s clear that Marc Casado hasn’t been anywhere close to his form in 2024/25, which explains his absences, however, there was a very clear feeling that Casado just wasn’t in tune with his teammates for long periods of Sunday’s game.
His passing was often awful, his timing off, and, frankly, he looked like a fish out of water far too often.
It was as if he wasn’t entirely sure which midfield position he should play, and as a result, he would pop up here, there and everywhere - but to little effect.
Given the plethora of midfield talent available, Casado won’t get too many opportunities between now and the end of the season, and talk of a summer exit is likely to increase.