'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
FC Barcelona played host to Levante after their mid-week affair against Alaves. Atletico Madrid's win earlier in the day meant that Barcelona had to win to seal the LaLiga title. Relegation fighting Levante would have been content to play spoilsport and get a point out of the game.
Ernesto Valverde continued on his tracks from mid-week and benched Lionel Messi. Sergio Busquets started from the bench too. Dembele, Coutinho, Semedo, Vidal, all started for the Blaugrana. While Luis Suarez continued to play as the striker, Jordi Alba returned to the starting 11, and against the popular opinion, Gerard Pique started the game.
Barcelona took the game by the scruffs as it progressed into the first half. Chance after chance, either denied by Aitor Fernandez or put to waste by Barcelona's front three. Half-time saw Lionel Messi and Jose Luis Morales take the pitch for their respective sides. The second half was more end-to-end than the first one.
Lionel Messi scored the solitary goal of the evening in the 62nd minute and in the end, it was enough to hand Barcelona their 26th LaLiga title. For now, the title celebrations are on at the Camp Nou but sooner than later the attention must shift to the visitors from Merseyside. Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Levante's fighting spirit helps Barcelona savor the win
Barcelona had a lot of opportunities to take the lead in the first half. Philippe Coutinho had a couple of chances, Luis Suarez had his chances, even Semedo and Dembele had their chances. However, as close as Levante are to the relegation zone, their defensive structure suggested the opposite.
Levante was very organized defensively and they were trying to hit Barcelona on the counter-attack and set pieces. In the second half, Morales' introduction gave them a boost in the attacking front. Levante's attacks became better in the second half and they had two big chances to score. Morales sailed one over the top of the bar and a second one, off the post was dealt with by a slippery Ter Stegen.
Barcelona did hang on to the lead till the end but Levante didn't make it any easier for them. Thus, they should savor this win and the title win because it came the hard way.
#4 Aitor Fernandez a brick wall amidst several sparkling Levante players
Barcelona began to grow into the game as it went on in the first half. They attempts were good and mostly on target but still only one went past Aitor Fernandez. The Levante goalkeeper made 11 saves on the night and most of them were terrific. It included a curling free-kick effort from Coutinho tipped onto the bar and over, a header from point-blank range saved, and a curler from outside the box saved.
We can also go on to mention Arturo Vidal's rocket strike from the edge of the box and Lionel Messi's left-footed attempt from outside the box. Win or lose, Aitor Fernadez was brilliant and he wasn't the only good player on the pitch for Levante. You could pick any number of Levante players and say that they were good.
Coke and Ruben Vezo made a combined 9 tackles from the persistent left-wing where Alba and Coutinho kept brewing things. Nikola Vukcevic made three tackles and made passes at 100% accuracy, 28 of them. They might not have status as world-class players but they played with heart.
#3 Gerard Pique's presence vital for the Blaugrana
Gerard Pique has always been a defensive rock for Barcelona, be it when Carles Puyol was still the leader, or after Puyol left the team. His anticipation of balls, his ability to play with the ball at his feet, his 1v1 situation handling, everything makes him one of the more underrated centre-backs in the world.
Pique only made 1 tackle in the game but it was crucial. He made crucial interceptions inside the box with balls being crossed in. Apart from everything, he made 53/57 passes to kickstart the attacking play and/or organize the positioning of players. He also had three clearances on the night.
Even when Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba made defensive errors, major errors, Pique did not make even one and he also covered up for the ones he didn't make. Barcelona's plan late in the game was to defend their way to the title, that they did with a general shouting and organizing the defense, wearing shirt #3.
If Barcelona has to stand any chance of soaking up Liverpool's pressure and play through the press, Pique's leadership, his positional awareness, and his instincts on the counter-attack will be vital for Barcelona. It was vital yesterday too.
#2 Coutinho in pole position to start against Liverpool
Lionel Messi came on at half-time replacing Philippe Coutinho which was a surprise. Coutinho wasn't the worst man on the pitch and in fact, he was one of the better players. He dribbled well, looked more confident on the ball, opened up spaces for shooting, hit the target, did it all. Dembele, on the other hand, had a night full of ups and downs.
The Frenchman had the pace to ram through the Levante defense as he did on multiple occasions. However, his decision making in the final third was poor. On an occasion when he should have cut it back to Messi, he attempted a curler and missed it. On another occasion when he should have attempted to curl it with the right foot, he tried to pass it to Messi. But still, he tiptoed through the Levante defense into the box and dragged three defenders out of their positions, for Messi to finish with ease.
Coutinho was withdrawn by Valverde but it suggests that it is due to the fact that the gaffer needs him against Liverpool. By the looks of it, Coutinho is in pole position to start against Liverpool in the Champions League.
#1 Who else but Lionel Messi
There are some things that are meant to happen, that are inevitable. Lionel Messi scoring the winning goal for Barcelona is one such phenomenon. It is not that Barcelona lacked chances to score before Messi came in. Coutinho had Levante at the ropes on more than one occasion.
Dembele could have scored when he dribbled past everyone but he chose to pass instead. Vidal's shot could have gone in but it was blocked by the defender. But when the ball fell to Messi, the seemingly unbreakable defense was completely out of position. The unbeatable Aitor Fernandez could not get a hand strong enough to deflect the ball away. That's why we say, these are things that are meant to happen.
Lionel Messi promised us that he will try and deliver the Champions League to the Camp Nou. The top-scorer in the UEFA Champions League right now, the European Golden Boot frontrunner, but never scored against Liverpool. There were things that he hadn't done before on a lot of Champions League games, scoring against Chelsea, scoring against Cech, Buffon, but he ended up doing all those.
Would you bet against him scoring against Liverpool? Sorry, we won't.
