Girona reigned supreme over Barcelona in the Catalan derby last night, scripting an unreal storyline and going to the top of La Liga to establish a sole lead. What made the game impressive was not just the performance but the sheer dominance Michel’s side displayed.
For Xavi’s men, the game had mistakes written all over it. After all, it is not every day that the reigning champions get humbled 2-4 at their own den.
The result pushes Barcelona seven points behind the leaders and five points behind Real Madrid. They are now in a difficult position in the race for the title and will have to hope for mistakes to creep into the teams placed above them.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Barcelona 2-4 Girona.
Defensive embarrassment
34-year-old David Lopez, 33-year-old Daley Blind, and Barcelona loanee Eric Garcia were Girona’s three centre-backs last night in the derby. The trio defended with their all against Barça’s big names and rushed in to make timely interceptions every time the hosts got close.
On the other hand, the Blaugrana boasted some of the world’s highest-valued defenders in their starting lineup. Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, and Joao Cancelo were Xavi’s starting options on the night, yet were outclassed by Girona’s two veteran defenders and Garcia.
Barcelona do not concede four goals in a game very often. A 4-2 defeat on home soil thus signifies one of the club’s most embarrassing defeats in recent times, especially considering that it was a derby with umpteen implications.
The opening goal saw both Araujo and Christensen caught out of position on a vicious counter-attack, and the situation was beyond repair the moment Yan Couto threaded the ball forward to initiate the break.
Miguel Gutierrez’s eventual second goal saw more of the same. The Girona star was given all the time and space to gear up and shoot, and it is only fair that he capitalised.
Despite conceding two goals, Barcelona were still in the game until Valery Fernandez scored the visitors’ third goal of the night. Of all the goals, the third blow boasted the most glaring defensive error for it was Kounde’s poor touch that gifted Michel’s men the goal.
The final blow came late in the game when the result was already written in stone. Yet, it once again showed glaring symptoms of defensive deficiency as the Blaugrana defence left their far post completely unguarded for Stuani to score.
Disastrous finishing
An xG tally of 4.06. 31 shots, eleven on target, and nine blocked. Five big chances, all of which were missed. 22 shots from inside the box forcing nine goalkeeper saves.
All the above statistics reflect a common diagnosis – a team with a functional, creative midfield lacking the required finesse in the final third. In more crude terms – horrendous attack.
Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphinha were all atrociously poor in the final third last night.
The Polish striker did indeed score Barcelona’s first goal on the night but was largely underwhelming apart from his header. He missed two big chances including a massive opportunity in the final minutes that would have tied it at 3-3.
Raphinha was inspiring in the buildup at times, yet utterly wasteful in the face of goal. For the chances the Brazilian had, he should have recorded a brace at least.
Joao Felix had little to no involvement in front of goal last night. While he was good in the buildup phase with two key passes and a big chance created, he did not get into scoring positions.
The lone star shimmering
Barcelona showed promise in parts against Girona with moments of magic in the buildup. They were let down by poor performances in defence and attack, but there was one player in garnet and blue who provided more than an ordinary silver lining.
Ilkay Gundogan was the one Barcelona player last night who shone brightly. Whatever the situation on the scoreboard, the fortitude in his teammates’ minds, or the odds against his side, the German star stood tall and dished out a classic performance.
It does not require much to see why Gundogan is a match-winner, for he steps up when the times are most trying. Last night’s clash was more of the same as he single-handedly created chance after chance only to be let down by his teammates.
In 90 minutes at Montjuic, Gundogan recorded close to 100 touches, made a staggering five key passes has three shots on target and as many off the target. Further, he completed a successful dribble and was involved in six defensive actions.
It is thus not surprising that it was the German who found the back of the net for Barcelona in the dying minutes last night. His goal gave the team hope, albeit only short-lived.
Xavi’s men require more Gundogans on the field. More players with the same drive, belief, and never-say-never attitude. That, in itself, can elevate them to a champion team.
