Barcelona 1-0 Real Sociedad: 5 Talking Points as Blaugrana register important victory | LaLiga 2019-20 

After their harrowing loss to Real Madrid in the Clasico last week, Barcelona returned to league action when they hosted Real Sociedad in a matchday 27 fixture at Camp Nou.

Both sides are in the upper echelons of the LaLiga table and came into the fixture with the intention of picking maximum points to aid their ambitions but for all of the attacking talent on display, there was very little in terms of goalmouth action.

Martin Braithwaite, handed his first start in a Barcelona shirt started lively on the left of Barcelona's attack and he was easily the brightest of the attacking trio, with Lionel Messi uncharacteristically off-colour, while Antoine Griezmann was entirely on the periphery of the game.

The visitors grew into the match and fashioned a number of chances in the second half but just when they were going for the kill, they had the wind sucked out of their sail when referee Juan Martinez penalized Mikel Oyarzabal for a handball in the area.

Lionel Messi stepped up and calmly converted from the spot for his 19th goal of the season and the hosts held their narrow lead despite a late surge by Sociedad.

In this piece, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the fixture.

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5. Barcelona go top, pressure on Real Madrid

FC Barcelona have moved to the summit of the table

Zinedine Zidane's maiden LaLiga victory over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu saw his side go one point clear at the top of the standings and given their head-to-head advantage, Los Blancos firmly have their destiny in their hands with 14 matches to go.

However, the quality available in the Barcelona ranks means that the capital side can ill-afford any slip-ups if they are to break the Blaugrana's stranglehold on the domestic scene.

It is no hidden secret that Real Madrid's main objective this season is to win LaLiga and it is looking likely that this is going to be one of the tightest races in history that would go down to the wire.

Despite not having their destiny in their hands, Barcelona would strive to play their part and hope their great rivals drop points and having done the job against Sociedad, the Catalans would be turning their attention to Real Betis and hoping the Andalusians can do them a favour.

4. Real Sociedad architects of their own failure

Imanol's side failed to take their chances

Real Sociedad are easily one of the most impressive sides in LaLiga this season and they came into this fixture against Barcelona on a good run of form, having won eight of their last nine fixtures in all competitions, including a 4-3 win away to Real Madrid that set them on their way to the final of the Copa del Rey.

Under the management of Imanol Alguacil, the Basque side have impressed, with players like Martin Odegaard, Adnan Januzaj, Portu, and Alexander Isak all flourishing in a brilliantly attack-minded system.

The 2-2 draw earlier in the day between Atletico Madrid and Sevilla offered Real Sociedad a huge incentive for a top-four finish and despite coming to the Camp Nou, the visitors would have fancied their chances and they showed as much in their application for the entirety of the match, putting Barcelona on the backfoot with their quick and forward-thinking play.

The second half saw La Real increase the pressure on the hosts, fashioning a number of notable opportunities but rather disappointingly, they failed to take them, with Odegaard, Portu, Nacho Monreal, and especially the normally efficient Alex Isak all being let down with their decision-making in the final third.

They were ultimately punished for failing to take their chances when Messi converted from the spot and Imanol would hope his wards can get their act together ahead of their rescheduled clash with Eibar on Tuesday.

3. Quique Setien yet to convince his critics

SSC Napoli v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

It has been almost two months since Quique Setien was surprisingly appointed as Barcelona manager but there is yet to be a distinct impact on the playing style of the Blaugrana.

For most of the game against Real Sociedad, his side looked devoid of ideas and although there were odd flashes of the quick passing game that led to some chances, these instances were few and far between and the players do not seem to have gotten a firm grasp of what is wanted from them on the field.

The last week has been filled with dissections of the Clasico defeat as well as the furious reactions and resorting to unprintable words by his assistant Eder Sarabia to the players which forced the former Real Betis manager to apologize for the 39-year-old's choice of words and a return to Camp Nou offered his team the opportunity to put all these behind them but they huffed and puffed in vain for most of the game until they were handed a lifeline by VAR.

Quique Setien lost each of his first three major tests as Barcelona manager to Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, and Real Madrid, while also drawing with Napoli in the Champions League and the fact that they needed a penalty to see off Sociedad at Camp Nou would do little to calm the brewing storm.

The 61-year-old was appointed largely for his self-proclaimed love of the Cruyffian way of playing football but at a side like Barcelona, that is not enough to keep a job and unless he can start winning football matches convincingly, Setien might be back to tending cows in his village much sooner than he expected.

2. Another quiet game for Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann did not make a mark on the game

Barcelona spent a lot of time, effort, and money trying to land Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid and even had to suffer the public ignominy of being turned down by the Frenchman in favour of extending his contract on live TV in 2018.

This should have been enough to end their interest but the Blaugrana were seemingly desperate to get him and paid the full value of his release clause last summer.

So far, the 28-year-old has failed to hit the heights reached under Diego Simeone and while he might have shown flashes of his undoubted potential, they have come in fits and starts and he has lacked the consistency to make a genuine mark at the club.

His record of eight goals and four assists from 25 LaLiga games is not exactly poor by any stretch of the imagination but it is also far from the numbers expected of a talented player like him.

The French international has scored just one goal in the league since the start of 2020 and that has been his only goal contribution in the last eight matches which is especially poor, considering that Luis Suarez has been out for two months with injury.

The game against his former side offered him a chance to redeem himself but Griezmann once again stuttered and failed to make a mark on the clash, with the dejected look on his face as he trudged off for Ansu Fati indicative of his awareness of another lackluster display.

1. Lionel Messi the difference-maker

FC Barcelona v Real Sociedad - La Liga

Barcelona have suffered a bit of Messidependencia in recent years and despite turning 32 last summer, the club have shown no signs of breaking free from his influence on the field.

There have been indications that the Barcelona skipper is far from his peak physically and accusations that he has been playing with a muscle problem in his thigh and a particular run of play against Sociedad where he was left panting after a short bust of pace in the 20th minute seemed to lay credence to this school of thought.

It was far from a vintage performance from Lionel Messi, with the Argentine international missing some gilt-edged chances and miscontrolling passes which was rather shocking for someone of his immense abilities.

The penalty offered the Rosario native to right all wrongs on the night and he took it, shooting low and hard to his right which gave Alex Merino absolutely no chance despite his best efforts.

The goal handed Barcelona a lifeline in a game they scarcely deserved to win and once more, they have their captain to thank for being the difference-maker.