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A late Lionel Messi goal was enough for Barcelona to take a 1-0 advantage into the second leg of the Copa del Rey Quarter final against Atletico Madrid next week. Messi missed from the penalty spot, but made no mistake on the rebound and gave the host a well-deserved lead to break the visitors hearts.Atletico defended resolutely for much of the game and although Barcelona enjoyed plenty of the ball, they couldn’t carve out too many clear cut chances in a game that is high on passion and intensity.Here are the five major talking points from the game:
#1 Frustration gets the better of Suarez
When your central striker is more concerned about remonstrating with the referees instead of playing football, you know you are in trouble. As Thierry Henry mentioned, it isn't easy, for a striker, especially one who thrives on goals to adapt to Barcelona's style of play.
Although Luis Suarez is getting into the right places, he is still finding his feet in the final third. After missing a glorious opportunity in the first half, the Uruguayan striker gradually started to fade as an attacking threat in the second half.
Frustration started to get the better of the Uruguayan striker who started to concentrate more on appealing for free kicks, criticising the referee and assistants rather than concentrating on playing the right ball.
#2 Torres looks rusty
Lost amidst the hoopla surrounding Fernando Torres' homecoming is the fact that he is still a long way from being one of the world's best strikers. In football, there aren't too many more difficult tasks than being a striker for a Diego Simeone side and against Barcelona that was clearly evident.
For all the love that he has been getting at the club, the truth is that there are few harder taskmasters than Simeone, who wants all his players, irrespective of their position to do a job defensively. Against Barcelona, there were times when the Spaniard was near his own penalty box, trying to win the ball and that affected Atletico's rhythm going forward.
When Torres was afforded a chance to attack, he gave the ball away far too often and showed that while he might be back, he is still nowhere near his best.
#3 Rakitic starting to show his worth
Barcelona realised a while back that they needed a replacement for Xavi. They brought back Fabregas in the hope that he would be the answer. But when that didn't go according to plan, they sold the Spaniard and brought in Ivan Rakitic last summer.
Although the Croatian isn't a like-for-like replacement, he has already shown just why he might be the shrewdest bit of business done by the Catalan club in the last transfer window. Aside from some grappling inside the penalty area from set-pieces, Rakitic showed, through his distribution and his ability to get stuck into tackles, just why he is the midfielder the Blaugrana have been looking for.
#4 Luis Enrique\'s words ring true
Before the game, Luis Enrique was keen to stress the fact that his side's 3-1 win in their last home game has no impact on this game and said ‘this will be a very different game’. That was certainly true, as the hosts didn't enjoy the same freedom they did the last time these two met. Atletico had tightened the screws at the back and proved to be a formidable obstacle for the Barca attack to break through.
Although the Catalans dominated the game, they found it difficult to create too many clear-cut chances and were in the end, lucky to have got a penalty, which Messi converted. With a 1-0 advantage going into the second leg, the onus will be on Atletico to attack at home and that will be a very different game as well.
#5 Atletico need to show more attacking threat
Five out of the last seven games between the two sides had resulted in a draw and it was no surprise to see that Simeone set his side up for a draw at the Camp Nou. If it wasn't for Lionel Messi's late penalty, they might well have gone away with what they wanted, but now their job becomes even more difficult.
Without the suspended Diego Godin, Atletico need to not only score two goals, but also ensure that they don't concede one in the second leg at the Vicente Calderon next Wednesday. Simeone must find the perfect balance between defending like they did in the first leg and showing much more impetus going forward, in a game that is sure to be every bit as exciting as this game, if not more.
