When the final whistle was blown at the Santiago Bernabeu, what we saw on the television was an ecstatic Diego Simeone. One could have been forgiven for assuming that the Argentine had just won the Champions League after drawing against Real Madrid, such was the elation that Simeone exuded.
At that moment, the former Inter midfielder not only represented his joy but also resembled how Cules were feeling after the result was finalised. By winter break, Barca fans had given up hope of surpassing Real Madrid to win league, given the fact that the Blancos were 10 points ahead.
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However, as Real lost two points to fierce rivals, Atletico Madrid, last evening, Barca had a genuine chance to close the gap—but they blew it as they lost their game against Malaga 2-0.
And here are the 5 talking points…
#5 Samuel Umtiti breaks the duck
When people are asked to enlist the names of the most important Barcelona players, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Gerard Pique are some of the names that come up constantly. However, Samuel Umtiti was the invincible one among them.
Ever since joining Barcelona, the Frenchman had never tasted defeat while donning the red and blue shirt. With 18 wins from 18 games, he had a 100% record with the Catalans, but that was broken last night as Sandro Ramirez and Jhony dug the dagger in Barca’s heart.
With that, the charm of luck that Umtiti provided has faded to black.
#4 Barca’s bench is poor
Well, this is perhaps the main talking point after every Barcelona loss. It is incredible that they have made it this far this season with such a weak bench—and with the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Gerard Pique suspended, it showed.
The first mistake Enrique made was to bench Andres Iniesta and Sergi Roberto. This meant that Barca took a huge risk even before going into a game for which they were already depleted. Andre Gomes was supposed to be the creative hub from the midfield in the absence of Ivan Rakitic, but he had another atrocious game for the club.
Meanwhile, Iniesta was brought in to curb the damage and lift Barca from the ashes, but he failed to do so. Sergi Roberto was also popped in at right-back and was Barca’s best player after coming on, but couldn’t finish the chance that he got.
Overall, Barca’s bench strength is a far cry from their best years under Pep Guardiola.
#3 Barcelona need new defenders
Samuel Umtiti might have only joined the club last summer, but by the looks of Barca’s squad and the ageing Jeremy Mathieu, the Blaugranas desperately need another defender at least to make sure that they have a competent player to replace Gerard Pique or Umtiti when they are unavailable.
While both Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano can play in defence, shunting them in the backline compromises the bite in midfield. Hence, a true defender is needed in order to guard the goalkeeper. Right now, Barcelona have only Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Jeremy Mathieu as recognised center-halves.
And with age starting to get the better of the former Valencia man, it is about time that the Catalan club sign some cover.
#2 Neymar loses it
This season, the Brazilian star has shown some wonderful maturity thus far. Not only did his playing improve, his mental approach towards the game has also leapt forward by a long margin.
The talent Neymar has is undeniable. However, the only thing that has held him back over the years is his proneness to getting carried away by tough tackles. His short temper has hurt him a lot over the years and it was a point of concern for the Cules when he was signed.
However, this season, he has shown admirable restraint and level-headedness, which has also improved his performance. But last night, he had a moment of weakness and went in hard against Real Madrid-loanee, Diego Llorente, for which he earned a second yellow card.
This goes to show that the Brazilian is not yet there at the Shaolin Monk level of coolness that Kung Fu fighters ooze.
Also Read: Neymar likely to miss the El Clasico due to suspension
#1 Malaga give it their all
Before this encounter, Malaga had never won against Barcelona in this millennium. In fact, the Costa del Sol club had only won thrice before yesterday and it seemed like another thrashing was on its way for Malaga.
But they weren’t here to be the punching bag of the defending champions. No, sir, they were here to make a statement. And oh boy, they did it in style.
Despite the fact that Malaga got some favourable decisions from the referee, they showed a lot of grit to withstand the torment from Barca. It was ironic as well as poetic that the first goal for Malaga was scored by a former Barcelona player.
They played with a lot of cohesion in defence and took their chances on the counter, which allowed them to spurn a surprise on the Camp Nou outfit and do the seemingly-impossible task of winning all three points against their bad juju club.
