Barcelona earn another dramatic win, but Xavi’s La Liga contenders show signs of vulnerability
A 1-0 win at Real Sociedad saw Ronald Araujo find the back of the net in the second minute of stoppage time
Barcelona may have been second best for 90 minutes of the match, but it wouldn’t matter as Ronald Araujo found the back of the net in the 92nd minute of play to defeat Real Sociedad, 1-0. It’s a goal that even Araujo didn’t believe counted as it took a VAR review to be given but it was an important one to send Xavi’s men to third in La Liga as they look to keep pace with Girona and Real Madrid.
But after an El Clasico loss to Los Blancos, the fact that Barcelona were unable to score for so much of the match and needed heroics from Marc Andre Ter-Stegen to produce save after save is concerning. Even with Robert Lewandowski back in attack, Barcelona were unable to create as the Polish striker didn’t take a single shot in the match.
Already four points off of the title race with Atletico Madrid hot on their tails, it will be tough for Barcelona to retain the La Liga title for a second consecutive season without upping their attacking output. Let’s take a look at why Barcelona are off the pace:
Struggles away from home
When Barcelona leave their temporary home with Camp Nou undergoing renovations, the wheels fall off. Barcelona have a goal difference of plus-nine in home matches compared to only plus-three in their away clashes. While quality has improved in La Liga, it lags significantly behind Real Madrid and Girona who have both won five away matches already this season. To win the title a team needs to be able to take the best version of themselves away from home and while Barcelona got away with not doing that due to Sociedadad’s lack of efficiency, better teams in La Liga will make them pay.
Feeding the strikers
Last season, Robert Lewandowski scored 23 La Liga goals and assisted seven more, but so far this season, he has scored five, assisting three while also missing time due to injuries. These numbers are fine for a 35-year-old striker but with Barcelona’s configuration in attack, more is needed. After shipping Ousmane Dembele to Paris Saint-Germain, Xavi played Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo as his wingers alongside Lewandowski, and neither provided the support that he is used to. To compete in La Liga or even in the later stages of Champions League, Raphinha needs to provide a more creative presence to the attack even if it comes at the expense of some of Barcelona’s defensive strength.
Frenkie de Jong is critical
A lot of Barcelona’s struggles have come with Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong sidelined with an ankle injury. Not expected to return until late November, there isn’t another midfielder who can progress the ball on the dribble like he can which hurts Barcelona’s link-up play. With him absent, more needs to come from wide making the team more predictable and easier to stop. Ilkay Gundogan’s late runs into the box help provide some element of surprise but even he still needs someone to find him with the ball. De Jong will take the ball from a center back and drive up to do the creative work himself freeing up the rest of the team to make their own runs.
How Xavi responds to these issues could define his tenure at Barcelona. While he’s a club legend who has led them to a La Liga title, losing doesn’t go over well around the club. Advancing deep into Champions League and competing for the title is expected so if those don’t happen, look out.
