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Barcelona welcomed relegation-threatened Cadiz to the Camp Nou for their La Liga matchday 31 fixture on Monday night (18 April).
Barca were looking to bounce back from their shock Europa League elimination at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt last week and started as favorites. But against all odds, the lowly visitors not only kept a clean sheet but also managed to nick a second-half goal to seal a memorable win against Xavi's side.
Former Arsenal forward Lucas Perez bundled the ball into an unguarded net to inflict another defeat upon the Catalan giants. The upset leaves the club in second place in the La Liga table with 60 points, 15 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid, who have played one game more. Cadiz, meanwhile, moved out of the relegation zone. They are now 16th with 31 points from 32 games, two points clear of 18th-placed Mallorca.
As anticipated, Barcelona started the game on the front foot, enjoying plenty of possession. It took them only four minutes to force Cadiz keeper Jeremias Ledesma into action. Ousmane Dembele stung the custodian's gloves from the right flank, forcing the goalkeeper to clumsily parry the Frenchman's effort away. The botched clearance fell to Ferran Torres, who could not manage to make the most of the opportunity.
Cadiz’s first chance of the match came three minutes before the half-hour mark. Unmarked in the middle, Perez somehow dragged his shot wide of the far post to keep the game goalless. Dembele carved out another opportunity in the 39th minute, but his effort was tame and could not trouble Ledesma.
Three minutes into the second half, the visitors found themselves in cloud nine, taking the lead against all odds. Ruben Sobrino first dispatched a glancing header towards Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s goal, which the German saved but could not clear. Sobrino collected the loose ball to have another go at it. Ter Stegen made another save, but this time, the clearance fell into the path of Perez, who hit the back of the net from close range.
Dembele got a chance to equalize three minutes later, but his low shot drifted wide of the mark. Gavi, Luuk de Jong, Eric Garcia, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all had their chances to score, but none of them managed to apply the finish. Following Monday night’s defeat, Barcelona are left with only a single win in their last four games across all competitions.
Here are five Barca stars who underperformed in last night’s upsetting defeat against Cadiz at the Camp Nou:
#5 Clement Lenglet
Xavi went with Eric Garcia and Clement Lenglet at the heart of his team’s defense for the clash against Cadiz.
Lenglet, who hadn’t started a league game in 2022, crumpled under pressure, playing a major part in conceding the only goal of the match. The Frenchman was caught ball-watching inside the box, failing to clear it out of the danger area.
His distribution, as always (67 passes with 94.4 percent passing accuracy) was great, but his defensive shift was simply not good enough.
He lost the only ground duel he contested, made one interception, and did not attempt a tackle or register a clearance.
#4 Eric Garcia
Like his defensive partner, Eric Garcia also disappeared into thin air for Lucas Perez’s goal early in the second half.
The defender should have done considerably better to help out his keeper, especially considering he had already made two decent saves.
Garcia’s distribution (82 passes and six long balls) was good, going a long way in helping Barcelona build from the back. Unfortunately, he was considerably weak in the duels and failed to give Barca the assurance they needed at the back.
Garcia lost six of his eight ground duels and came up second-best in the only aerial duel he went for. He also lost possession three times and committed four fouls.
#3 Gavi
In Pedri’s absence, Gavi started on the left-side of Barcelona’s midfield, hoping to provide width and link up with Ferran Torres.
His passing was decent (52 passes with 92.9 percent accuracy) but he was not threatening enough going forward. He only dispatched one shot on Monday night, which, too, was easily blocked by the Cadiz defenders.
Against Cadiz, Gavi played zero key passes, misplaced four crosses out of five, lost all three aerial duels, and ceded possession 12 times.
It was certainly not one of his best outings in Barca’s colors.
#2 Memphis Depay
Since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s arrival on a free transfer from Arsenal in January, summer signing Memphis Depay has become an afterthought.
On Monday night, the Netherlands international started ahead of Aubameyang, getting the perfect opportunity to get on Xavi’s good books. Instead, the Dutchman cut a frustrating figure in front of goal, doing nothing to cement his place in the team.
The former Lyon forward had zero shots on target, played only one key pass, and was beaten in all three aerial duels. He also lost possession 13 times and neither of his crosses found their intended targets.
#1 Ferran Torres
Over the last couple of months, Ferran Torres has produced some fine performances under the keen eyes of Xavi.
Last night, unfortunately, was a terrible day at the office for the young Spaniard. He was outmuscled and outwitted, failing to do anything to write home about.
Torres, who has four La Liga goals to his name this season, only lodged a couple of shots, one being blocked while the other veered off target. None of his four dribbles were successful.
He made only one key pass and managed to deliver a solitary long ball. The Spaniard also came up second-best in six of his seven ground duels, losing possession 15 times and committing three fouls.
