Getafe 0-0 Barcelona: 5 talking points as toothless Barca secure second-place finish with draw

Barcelona ensured a second-place finish in La Liga this season as they played out a goalless draw in their trip to Getafe on Sunday.

While the game was a slow and dull affair, a draw proved to be a win-win situation for both parties involved as they both achieved their goals for the season. Barcelona will now play in the Spanish Super Cup next season, while the hosts ensured their top-flight status.

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The Catalans enjoyed the upper hand in terms of possession but failed to make the most of it with their attackers in poor form throughout the game. Getafe recorded more shots on target than the visiting side but none of them caused any problems for Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

As the last game of the season is now a mere formality for either side, here we take a look at the five talking points from this goalless draw.

#5 Barcelona's lengthy list of absentees impacted their performance in the game

Getafe CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander

Xavi had to experiment with his squad in the game and fielded a relatively new starting XI here. First-team players like Jordi Alba, Frenkie De Jong, and Eric Garcia were suspended for the game. Gerard Piqué, Ronald Araujo, Pedri, and Sergino Dest were all out injured.

The starting XI had not had a lot of time to take part in drills together and there was little to no synergy between the players. The defenders, with Dani Alves in particular, had a great night at the office but the midfielders and attackers looked completely out of sync.

If Xavi had a full-strength squad to choose from for the game, it is likely that the visitors could've at least scored a goal or two here.

#4 Getafe pushed for a goal in the first half but assumed a defensive stance in the second half

The hosts had three shots on target in the game, two more than Barcelona and interestingly all three of them came in the first half. They were looking to get an early lead in the game and then sit back and defend it.

They pushed forward on a couple of occasions but the chances failed to cause any significant problems for Ter Stegen. Eres Unal and Carles Alena had their shots saved with ease.

When it became apparent to Quique Sánchez Flores that Barcelona are happy to enjoy possession, they also let them have it and sat back. Neither side opened up too much as a draw was a favorable outcome for both and they did not want to risk conceding even a single goal.

Getafe failed to record a single shot after the break as defending took precedence for the final 45 minutes of the game.

#3 Barcelona struggled in the final third as they took a cautious approach

The visitors recorded just one shot on target and that pretty much sums up their attacking performance for the night. Memphis Depay covered a lot of ground but had to be taken off the pitch with an injury.

Ferran Torres made some runs into the box but his efforts were mostly wayward and failed to make an impact. His chip in the second half was the only shot on target for the Catalans though.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was mostly anonymous throughout the game and was deprived of service. There was little to no incentive for the visiting side to open themselves up to a counter-attack and thus their attack suffered here.

#2 Barcelona extend their undefeated run to 15 in away games

The visitors might've put in a dull display against Getafe on Sunday but they managed to get a favorable result and Atletico Madrid's loss ensured that they secured a second-place finish this season.

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With this goalless draw, they were also able to extend their undefeated streak in La Liga to 15 games, winning nine of them and sharing the spoils in six of them. This was their last away game of the campaign for the Catalans and they will be happy to have avoided an away defeat in the league since November.

#1 Aubameyang misses chance to score landmark 300th goal at the club level

Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander

Aubameyang has been in great goalscoring form since joining the club in January and has scored 12 league goals. He is the favorite to find the back of the net whenever Barca take to the pitch, but he did not have a good outing in this game.

He had the fewest touches of any Barcelona player on the pitch (15) and did not record a single shot on target. He is chasing the landmark 300-goal figure and will now have to wait for the game at the Camp Nou against Villarreal for his next opportunity to reach a triple century.