Barcelona 1-2 Valencia: 3 flops who cost Barca the Copa Del Rey title

Barcelona have suffered another massive disappointment just less than a month after their disastrous Champions League exit. They have gone through a long journey to reach another Copa del Rey final, but Valencia emerged to be the better side this time.

The Catalans started to crumble after their abysmal first half resulted in Rodrigo Moreno and Kevin Gameiro's goal. They tried to bounce back and successfully scored a goal thanks to Lionel Messi. Unfortunately, the Argentinian's brilliance was not enough to save the Catalans.

Ernesto Valverde fielded a strong team against Marcelino's men, starting most of his first choice players including Ivan Rakitic and Gerrard Pique. They dominated possession throughout the game, but the team's difficulties to contain Valencia counter-attacks eventually led them to their demise.

Now, let's take a look at 3 flops who cost Barcelona the Copa Del Rey title.

#3 Jordi Alba

Another disappointing performance from the left-back

The Spaniard displayed another abysmal performance in such an important game. He was one of Barcelona's most disappointing players at the Anfield disaster due to his defensive error. Now, the 30-year-old seemed to repeat his weak defensive showing due to his struggle to contain Valencia's suddent attacks.

The fullback did virtually nothing to help Barcelona's defense as he failed to register even a single successful tackle throughout the Valencia game. He got outpaced by Carlos Soler which eventually resulted in Valencia's second goal. He also made several meaningless crosses due to Barcelona's lack of presence at the Valencia box.

No one has doubted his offensive capability, but his abysmal defensive contribution costs Barcelona a lot sometimes. He has hit past his 30 and might not have much time left to play at the top level. Hence, Alba should do a lot more to justify his recent contract extension.

#2 Arthur Melo

Many have regarded the Brazilian as the heir to Xavi Hernandez following the 22-year-old's move to Camp Nou. Bought for €31 million in 2018, Arthur has established himself as one of Barcelona's important players. He also garnered praise when he stood out against Tottenham Hotspur at the Champions League group stage.

However, his impact at Barcelona has gradually declined following Arturo Vidal's recent impressive display. He did not do enough to justify his selection ahead of Vidal at Copa del Rey final as the former Gremio star failed to make any meaningful impact throughout the game.

He did not make any defensive contribution and registered zero key passes for his teammate. He also got dispossessed several times due to his slow and predictable movements. Valverde seemed to have fed up of his uninspiring display and eventually replaced the starlet at the 46th minute.

#1 Nelson Semedo

Barcelona have expected the Portuguese star to become the next Dani Alves at the Camp Nou. Unfortunately, Semedo seems to have joined the list of the Catalan's failed signings as he made just 20 La Liga starts this campaign.

He made some spark when he came on as a substitute at Barcelona's Champions League semifinal first leg tie. However, he still failed to get out of his bit-part player image as he has been subbed early in his last 2 games for Barcelona. He flopped against Eibar as the Catalans conceded 2 goals before half time.

Semedo repeated his mistake as his lack of defensive presence resulted at both of Valencia's goal. He gave too much space for Jose Gaya to assist Valencia's first goal in the 21st minute. 12 minutes later, he didn't do enough to track Rodrigo's surging run which resulted in Valencia's second.

His nightmarish spell ultimately ended when Valverde decided to replace him for Malcom at the 46th minute.