Barça likes to complicate life these days, and after only two victories in the four matches in all competitions which preceded their trip to Celta Vigo this Saturday, they once again came close to being penalized. The match, played at a soporific pace, highlighted all the limitations of Xavi’s team and among them, above all, its inability to change the rhythm and multiply the highlights.
In the first period, we will barely remember an opportunity for Lamine Yamal (10th), the only permanent danger of the Catalan eleven throughout the meeting, and a little more of this sterile domination and a lot of wasted recoveries (16th, 22nd).
The current third in La Liga’s moribund performance was only spiced up by Robert Lewandowski’s individual exploit just before the break. The Pole, served by Yamal at the entrance to the area, followed up with control of the outside of his foot and a violent strike to open the scoring (45th, 1-0) with class.
It was a breath before returning to the locker room, with 70% possession on the statistical table, but a sigh when we resumed: Iago Aspas, the iconic scorer of Vigo, author of a season well below his standards (3 goals in 23 matches in all competitions before this meeting), deceived Marc-André ter Stegen with a shot deflected by Jules Koundé (47th, 1-1). Barça saw itself obliged to force destiny, which it struggled to do for a long time despite the coaching of Xavi, who sent Ilkay Gündogan and Raphinha as reinforcements at the hour mark.
Lamine Yamal, light in the Barcelona doldrums
There was, in the end, still very little danger and no change of pace, in addition to a few scares, like in the 67th when Koundé had to intervene in the area, or four minutes later (71st) when Celta got another good situation.
The last quarter of an hour of the meeting ended up becoming a caricature of Barcelona’s shortcomings, the frustration and annoyance showing as much in Xavi’s attitudes as on his face. Barça struggled to get into shooting situations, but there are still good players, and above all smart players, in this team.
And as at the end of the first period, it was Yamal who was the detonator when, trickster, he obtained a penalty by passing in front of a defender (93rd). Then Lewandowski, with his unique technique, transformed a second penalty attempt after having pitifully missed the first, and allowed Barça to taste success again and temporarily return to two points behind Girona, which faces Athletic Bilbao on Monday evening.
For its part, Barça travels to Naples on Wednesday in the Champions League for its round of 16 first leg where, a priori, it will be necessary to obtain a little more than crumbs to hope to win.