AS Roma 1-1 Barcelona: Five talking points

It wasn’t a memorable homecoming for manager Luis Enrique as his Barcelona side kick-started their Champions League defense with a grim 1-1 draw against his former employers AS Roma in the Italian capital.A victory at Atletico Madrid had spurred the spirits surrounding the Blaugrana outfit, who were touted to saunter their way to a victory here, only to get dampened by a highly rejuvenated Roma side which continued it’s fine start to the season by another strong display against the visiting behemoths.Although Barcelona went ahead through a Luis Suarez close range header, the hosts cancelled it out when Alessandro Florenzi scored a 55-yard beauty to level the terms.The defending champions were unable to snatch a win as they were then held by a rugged home team. Here are some of the talking points from the game.

#1 Taut Roma defense stifles Barca

A rare game where the prolific trio of MSN could be contained

When you’re up against the most potent attacking strike force in the world, even the tightest of defenses will have their hearts in their mouths. But the amateur, youthful Roman backline showed no such signs and put on a defending masterclass to shut out the prolific MSN triumvirate for large swathes of the game.

With a rearguard that comprised of Lucas Digne, Kostas Manolas, Antonio Rudigar and Alessandro Florenzi, manager Rudi Garcia threw a defense that was totally untested against a proposition like Barcelona and had an average age of 23, a really risky move. However, his ploy yielded positive dividends as they dispatched an inspiring performance at the back, stifling the visitor’s every move inside the box.

The quartet remained hot on their heels against the might of Blaugrana attack and restricted their stellar attacking trio to only a smatterings of chances. Cue the negligence that led to Suarez’s opener.

Roma may not have won still, but their defending must have surely left the home crowd smiling at the end.

#2 Salah dazzles for Roma

Even the pacy Jordi Alba was troubled by the lightening speed of Salah

Mohamed Salah failed to live up to the promise at Chelsea and was loaned out to Fiorentina in January this year. The Egyptian was sublime in his outings and AS Roma took no time in snapping him up during the transfer market. Considering his performances against the likes of Barcelona, La Maggica have surely made the right call.

The 23-year-old was terrific down the right wing, charging towards goal with lightening fast speed and harrowing Jordi Alba with his nimble footwork every now and then. A constant menace, Salah never took a minute to loaf and worked tirelessly from the flanks, slicing through the defences or laying crosses to Edin Dzeko.

The winger sparkled with his speed and agility on the wings, demonstrating the immense talent that he is imbued with.

#3 A tale of even midfield battle

Rakitic’s drilled cross led to Barcelona’s only goal of the game

While the strike forces of either sides weren’t inspiring enough to guide them to a victory, it was at the centre of the park from where the sparks ignited. Roma midfield maestro Daniele de Rossi and Barcelona creative hub Ivan Rakitic were the cynosure for some of the most crucial moments for their respective sides and contributed heavily in the proceedings.

On one hand, the Italian veteran’s bulwark like presence in the midfield had a big say in the impressive outcome for the hosts. The 34-year old was at the thick of the things for the Gialorossis, making two key interventions and providing a foil to the rearguard. De Rossi maintained his cool even during the tense moments, and his experience surely was one of the biggest factor in helping his side hold one of the threatening sides in Europe.

On the other hand, there was Ivan Rakitic. While de Rossi contributed defensively, his Croatian counterpart impressed offensively. The playmaker showed the temerity of running beyond his fief and into the final third, providing an extra edge to the attack.

Rakitic laid a drilled, rabble-raising pass to Suarez that ignited the opener and most of Barca’s creative influence stemmed through the former Sevilla man. He was instrumental in Azulgrana’s treble glory last season, and if he manages to maintain his rich vein of form throughout the season, the Catalans will be lifting many more trophies in the coming months.

#4 Barcelona now lacking depth even in the midfield

Rafinha was stretchered off just moments after he came on as a sub

Having been forced to contend with several crisis at the back, fresh tensions have emerged for Barcelona as they now face problems in the midfield. After Rakitic was subbed off in favour of Rafinha just after the hour mark, the Spaniard succumbed to an injury after strutting the field for just three minutes, thereby affecting the depth in the Blaugrana midfield.

With Pedro departed and Arda Turan available only from the start of 2016, Barcelona are running short of able no.10s in their squad and after this fateful incident, have only Rakitic at their disposal.

Although Munir el Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez are the back-ups on the bench, their last appearance in a Barcelona shirt came long ago and aren’t competent enough to shoulder the massive responsibility of orchestrating the front triumvirate.

Too many early casualties run the risk of disrupting Barca’s rhythm, and head-honcho Enrique must device an effective back-up plan soon so that his side keep sailing through unperturbed.

#5 Mathieu provides a ray of hope in the defense

Mathieu was able to cope up with the pace of Salah

With Jordi Alba seamlessly tortured on the right by the impish Mohamed Salah, Jeremy Mathieu at the heart of the defense, stood out. The Frenchman was arguably the best visiting defender on the night and marked the Egyptian well.

Mathieu was pivotal in trying to thwart Salah’s runs on the counter, and closed down on him effectively during his transitional runs. He never put a foot wrong at the back for the away side, and came up trumps when the situation demanded.

With Javier Mascherano still to hit his stride and Thomas Vermaelen out with another agonizing injury lay-off, the former Valencia centre-back comes as a glimmer of hope for the Catalans and by his performance last night, has staked a strong claim for a spot in the starting XI.