Three Reasons why Barcelona drew 0-0 with Slavia Prague

In an intriguing game, Barcelona claimed a goalless draw with Slavia Prague in the Champions League at the Camp Nou.

After falling to a 3-1 loss against Levante on Saturday, the pressure was on Barcelona to bounce back. However Slavia were tough to break, and the Czech side carved out chances of their own. Neither side had great chances in the first half, and it was an even contest. Barcelona had more of the ball, but Slavia played a high line and dealt with the pressure well.

The game opened up a bit more in the second half, but players failed to convert the chances. Sergi Roberto and Lionel Messi had great chances for Barcelona, but Ondrej Kolar was great for Slavia in goal. Arturo Vidal put the ball in the net for Barcelona, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Just like the last game between these two sides, Slavia gave a good account of themselves. The game was a frustrating one from Barcelona's standpoint, and that was clear from the fans' reactions. Here are three reasons why Barcelona could only muster a draw.

#3 Barcelona did not exploit Slavia's high line

Dembele and Griezmann could not utilise the space in behind the Slavia defence

Slavia's coach Jindrich Trpisovsky went with a brave game plan for the visit to Camp Nou. His side played a very high line and there were acres of space between their back four and goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar. Barcelona had fast players like Jordi Alba, Ousmane Dembele, and Antoine Griezmann to exploit this. They also had the likes of Lionel Messi and Frenkie de Jong to supply the passes. However, they failed to do so.

While in possession the wide players were far too static and did not make enough runs in behind the Slavia backline. Arturo Vidal showed excellent movement, but Dembele and Griezmann failed to do so. In fact, it was Nelson Semedo who showed more adventure on Barcelona's right wing.

Messi was playing as the central striker, and he did not come deep for large parts of the game. He did create some openings for Vidal, but they were limited. It would have done Barcelona a load of good if they could have exploited the space available to a greater extent.

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#2 Slavia Prague executed their gameplan to perfection

These two sides met in Prague in the last Champions League round, and Barcelona claimed a 2-1 win. But it was not an easy win by any standards, and Slavia kept on going till the end. At the Camp Nou, they bettered that performance.

Slavia started the game with a very high line and took the gamble to afford the space behind the backline. They gave no space to the Barcelona midfield, and the centre-backs Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet saw a lot of the ball as a result.

In the final third, they were impressive due to the likes of Lukas Masopust and Peter Olayinka. They put the ball in the net at one stage, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Slavia have little chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds, but they have shown that they can compete with the top teams.

#1 Valverde's formation and tactics did not do the trick

Valverde's tactics did not work against Slavia

After Luis Suarez got injured against Levante on Saturday, Valverde had to tinker with his squad. He opted to play Messi as the central striker, with Griezmann on the left and Dembele on the right. The move did not pay off, as neither wide player had the greatest of games.

Griezmann's left foot is the strongest, and he is not comfortable playing on the right wing. More often than not, he was receiving the ball and moving towards his own goal to keep possession. Dembele, on the other hand, is comfortable on both feet, and he could have played on the left.

But Valverde did not do that, and it was to the detriment of Barcelona. When Ansu Fati came on for Dembele and Griezmann moved to the right, the side looked more balanced. Valverde should consider the same in the upcoming games when utilising Griezmann.