FC Barcelona 0-0 Slavic Praha: Three things we learned from the game

A victory over Slavia Praha would have all but sealed a place in the knockout phase for Barcelona and would have been the best way for Ernesto Valverde’s men to shrug off the disappointment from the weekend. However, the Catalan giants had to settle for a point against a motivated Slavia Praha side after the game ended goalless in the end in their Champions League encounter.

Barcelona struggled in the opening minutes of the game, with Slavia Prague undoing their defence on more than one occasion. But they did manage to get back into the game and carved out some great opportunities to score and were unlucky to go into half-time without scoring. Lionel Messi rattled the cross-bar after a brilliant solo run from the halfway line and Gerard Pique’s brilliantly-timed header was wonderfully kept out by the opposition goalkeeper.

The Blaugrana looked much better in the second-half but still couldn’t put the ball past Ondrej Kolar, who was brilliant on the night. Lionel Messi did come close to scoring in the second-half from a brilliant cross by Ansu Fati, but was denied by the Slavia goalkeeper. Overall, the Catalan giants looked flat for most of the game and a draw seems like a fair result in the end.

Here are three things we learned from the stalemate between Barcelona and Slavia Praha:

#3 Blaugrana’s defensive frailties clearly visible

FC Barcelona v Slavia Praha: Group F - UEFA Champions League

FC Barcelona conceded three goals in eight minutes against Levante during the weekend, and their defensive issues were once again highlighted against Slavia Praha. The Slavia frontline found it very easy to get past the Blaugrana back line on more than one occasion with a simple pass between the full-back and the centre-back.

Moreover, the Catalan giants struggled against the opposition counter-attacks and found themselves out-numbered on a number of occasions. They were lucky to come away with a clean sheet as Slavia managed to carve out great opportunities to score.

Messi hit the woodwork in another frustrating night.

#2 Frenkie de Jong the only positive for Barcelona

FC Barcelona weren’t at their best against Slavia Praha and most of their star names failed to make an impact on the pitch. The only player who stood out was their summer acquisition-Frenkie de Jong.

The 22-year-old midfielder pulled the strings from the middle of the pitch and looked to play forward. His pass for Messi through the lines in the second-half was sublime and nearly got Barcelona the much-awaited goal, only for Messi to be slightly off-side.

The defensive-minded midfielder drove forward with the ball at every opportunity and completed 100% of his dribbles. The Dutchman also completed five recoveries and won nearly 80% of his duels. All in all, de Jong was one of the best players on the pitch for Barcelona against Slavia Praha. The 22-year-old has started to grow into his role in the Barcelona shirt and performances like those will soon make him a fan favourite very soon.

#1 A Draw seems like a fair result for both parties

The Catalan giants were desperate to get back to winning ways after their 3-1 defeat against Levante during the weekend. However, the Blaugrana didn’t look at their best against Slavia Praha and given their performance, will be happy with a point by the end of the game.

They did manage to carve out some great opportunities to score in either half and should have buried their chances, however, they failed to get a hold of the game and looked flat for most of the 90 minutes. On the other hand, Slavia produced an inspired performance and deserve the result based on their efforts. They looked extremely dangerous on the counter-attack and defended with their lives. All in all, a draw seems like a fair results for both sides in the end.