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Nelson Semedo and Lionel Messi were up to the task as Barcelona beat the winners (0-2) against Girona during a clash at Estadi Montilivi on Sunday.
After a series of attempts to probe the defense of Girona, the visitors took advantage after nine minutes, the ball falling at the feet of Nelson Semedo in the penalty area. The back showed the attacker's instinct to produce a clean finish on his weaker left foot in the lower corner.
Barcelona survived a scare just before halftime. Gerard Pique was forced to clear a shot from Riera Pere Pons, Andre Ter Stegen having saved a close effort from Christian Stuani a few seconds earlier.
Bernardo Espninosa was expelled at the beginning of the second period after obtaining a second booking for gross negligence, which gave a new initiative to the visitors.
Lionel Messi has doubled Barcelona 's lead with an exquisite finish. The Argentinian received the ball from Jordi Alba in a dangerous zone before throwing goalkeeper Ybadine Bounou, goalkeeper of Girona, with a superb chip.
Here is our breakdown of it.
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Player ranking
Beginning XI: Bounou (6); Alcala (5), Espinosa (5), Juanpe (6); Porro (6), Pere Pons (7), Granell (6), Fernandez (6); Garcia (7); Portu (6), Stuani (6)
substitutes: Douglas Luiz (5), Lozano (N / A), Paik (N / A)
BARCELONA
Key discussion point
In the absence of a midfielder carrying bullets in Andres Iniesta's mold to patrol the center of the park, Barca's attacking trio often has to blend in between the lines of attack and the midfield. This usually left the Catalans short of numbers to pose greater and more constant danger in the last third.
While Philippe Coutinho and Lionel Messi regularly retire to the middle of the field, Barca often loses its offensive threat in the vast areas. Valverde's men missed the direct pace and natural width of Ousmane Dembele, the Frenchman being sidelined by an injury.
Coutinho is a real worry at the moment, he just looks half shy in everything he does. Confident, he does not seem to enjoy his football. # GironaBarça #Coutinho
– NEIL (@ neilkirkham10) January 27, 2019
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Placing Coutinho in the middle of field three could solve the problem, the Brazilian being able to cover more ground and advance the ball through the lines, as Iniesta did previously for Barca with such distinction. The Brazilian seems more apt to receive the ball deep and raiding, rather than to go into larger areas more advanced.
Player ranking
Beginning XI: ter Stegen (6); Semedo (7), Piqué (8), Lenglet (6), Alba (7); Rakitic (7), Busquets (8 *), Vidal (6); Messi (8), Suarez (7), Coutinho (6)
substitutes: Arthur (6), Vermaelen (5), Roberto (N / A)
It's raining a lot in Montilivi. I should have gone to Miami … * checks the weather in Miami * Ah the weather forecast is there too! pic.twitter.com/f9x80vUU1C
– Podcast on Spanish football (@tsf_podcast) January 27, 2019
MAN OF STARS – Sergio Busquets managed in his own penalty area to deny Aleix Garcia Serrano an apparently certain goal after a central center in Barcelona. The Barcelona midfielder has shown an excellent reading of the game to ward off the danger. Busquets was calm and composed on the ball, crossing the midfield with a good tempo.
Worst player – The lack of impact of Philippe Coutinho on the match was not due to lack of effort, but the Brazilian seemed to lack confidence and lacked efficiency in the last third. The striker's efforts after the first-half goal set embodied Coutinho's difficulties during the match, as the former Liverpool star offered an excellent opportunity to double the lead of his team.
Look to the front
Barcelona will look to fill a 2-0 deficit since the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final match against Sevilla, who will host the second leg on Wednesday.
The Valverde players will then join La Liga as they face Valencia in a clash at Camp Nou next Saturday.
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