Ex Chelsea Star Sinks Barcelona : Three Talking Points From The Game

Barcelona succumbed to their first defeat of the season as they lost 3-2 to Paris Saint-Germain. Goals from ex-Chelsea player David Luiz, and one each from Marco Verrati and Blaise Matuidi were enough for the French champions to seal all three points and secure top spot in Group F after two games.

Messi

Although Barcelona tried to hit back with goals from Lionel Messi and Neymar, they failed to create too many clear cut chances in the end and were left to rue their lack of defensive discipline and cutting edge in front of goal.

Here are the three major talking points from the game.

1. Barcelona’s defensive shortcomings cost them dear

Barcelona came into this game, not only unbeaten, but also as one of only two sides in Europe who hadn’t conceded a goal so far this season. By the end of the game, it became very apparent that their defensive record was more down to their opposition being bad rather than their defence being particularly solid or resolute. The easy with which PSG were able to carve the Catalans defence on the break must have been a worry for coach Luis Enrique who saw his defence fail in their first real test.

All three of PSG’s goals arose from defensive errors. The first two goals only came about as a result of some lackadaisical marking by the Catalans, while the third one was a case of the defence, quite simply switching off. Although Javier Mascherano ensured that no more damage was done late on, on a couple of occasions, the Catalans must surely work on their defensive discipline, particularly if they want to go far in the Champions League.

2. PSG get their tactics spot on

To beat any side that enjoys an awful lot of possession, the one thing that you must do is to ensure that whenever you have the ball, you use it wisely. That is something that a lot of sides that have beaten Barcelona over the years have done. PSG coach Laurent Blanc understood that and set his side up to ensure that they made the most of any opportunity they got on the counter.

In Lucas Moura and Javier Pastore, they had two players who not only had the pace to play on the break, but also the passing range and the trickery to wreak havoc on opposing defenders at full speed. Although Edinson Cavani didn’t enjoy the greatest of games up front, the home side ensured that they had enough players in the box to make the most of their wonderful work on the wings. The home side also dominated in the air and made the most of their free kicks to ensure what was in the end a comfortable home victory over Barcelona.

3. Shot-shy visitors pay the ultimate price

If there is one criticism that can be levelled at Barcelona, which would have been true even in the heydays of Pep Guardiola is the side’s reluctance to shoot, when an opportunity presents itself. It was never more apparent than against PSG. The Catalans had plenty of opportunities to shoot especially from just inside and around the box, but none of the players seemed particularly interested in having a crack at goal. Instead of shooting, they just passed it onto a player in space, who did the same thing all over again.

But the simple fact is that when they did shoot, they ended up scoring or coming very close. Both of Barcelona’s goals came from a piece of opportunistic finishing from Messi and Neymar and substitute Munir El Haddadi almost equalised with a shot from outside the box, which hit the post. Given their lack of quality at the back, the visitors would do well take a pop at goal more often than not. While Cavani gave an exhibition in how not to finish at the other end, the simple fact is that if you don’t shoot, you don’t score and the sooner the Catalans realise that, the better for them.