La Liga Round 28

FC Barcelona 4-2 Valencia CF

Lineups:

FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Mascherano, Piqué, Umtiti; Rafinha, Rakitić, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar. (3-4-3)

Valencia CF: Alves; Montoya, Garay, Mangala, Gayá; Parejo, Pérez, Soler; Cancelo, Munir, Orellana. (4-3-3)

FC Barcelona arrived to this game with the obligation of getting the three points after knowing that Real Madrid won their game the day before. Barcelona also knew that losing two games in a row would have been disastrous for their chances in the title race. It was the first time that Barcelona played at home after that miraculous 6-1 victory over Paris-Saint Germain in the Uefa Champions League. Valencia CF are another team that have the urgency of earning as much points as possible to avoid relegation.

Barcelona seemed to be in control early in the game. That 3-4-3 scheme allows Barcelona to get the ball quicker to the forwards and dominate the midfield with more men. They created few chances that were constantly intercepted by Ezequiel Garay and Eliaquim Mangala. Both defenders are very good at holding their positions, taking advantage of their athleticism and anticipating to rival passes. Even though the 3-4-3 scheme allows Barcelona being more dominant on offense, they still have to improve when defending wide counter-attacks. Valencia exploited the wings and created a lot of danger to Barcelona’s backline.

Valencia scored first. Mangala connected a header that came from a corner – the play before that corner was a one-on-one situation between Munir El Haddadi and Marc-André Ter Stegen. Ter Stegen won it. But Barcelona responded very quickly. Luis Suárez was the protagonist in the first two goals of Barcelona. He scored the first one after leaving his marker behind and receiving the ball that came from a throw-in. Ten minutes later, he got fouled by Mangala inside the box. The referee called for a penalty and showed a second yellow card to Mangala. Lionel Messi scored the penalty.

The visitors responded even faster than Barcelona to tie the game. Munir scored the tie after being assisted by José Luis Gayá – that happened in less than a minute after the second goal by Barcelona.

Mangala’s ejection from the game was an important factor in the second half. Valencia dropped even more to the back to stablish a solid defensive backline. It did not work thanks to the brilliance of Messi and Neymar. The ball passed through Messi’s feet on almost every offensive transition by Barcelona. He dribbled the ball, pulled the strings and created many chances for his teammates. Neymar, who is probably one of the most integral parts of the 3-4-3 scheme, exploited the left wing. He also dribbled rivals, made cuts to the inside and gave fluidity to the ball-movement.

In the 52nd minute, Javier Mascherano assisted Messi in the third goal for Barcelona. Messi dribbled inside the box and scored the goal with his right foot. For the fourth goal, Neymar gave support to Samuel Umtiti on the right-back corner. Neymar drove the ball all the way through the left wing, created enough space for himself while dribbling rivals, made the cut to the box and assisted André Gomes.

This was a solid victory for Barcelona before hitting the international break. They continued to put pressure on Real Madrid in the title race and extended their point differential from Sevilla after their lost to Atlético de Madrid.