LaLiga 2018-19, Barcelona 3-4 Real Betis: 6 reasons why Barcelona lost the match

#3 Valverde was slow to effect changes

Valverde took too long to effect changes

Coaches spend days and sometimes weeks studying opposition tactics, and coming up with a plan to counter it.

Then also spend time drilling their tactics into their players in a bid to get them to play the perfect match on the field, and while more often than not, the greatest coaches prevail in the tactical side of the game, there are instances when they get it wrong.

The latter was the case against Betis, as right from the get-go.

It was easy to see that Barcelona had been tactically outclassed in every department by their visitors, rattled at every turn, and struggling to get out of the blocks, with it looking like Real Betis could score with every attack they launched.

The criticism at Valverde since he became Barcelona boss is that he is too slow to change the shape of his team or take off an underperforming player, most times waiting till the dying moments before he takes action.

Against Betis, this indecision cost him, as he only waited until half-time to get on the more aggressive Vidal, even though it was evident that Barcelona needed more steel in midfield as they were being hassled by Betis in the middle.

While he only took off Malcom in the 57th minute to be replaced by El Haddadi with just 33 minutes left, despite the former Bordeaux player being a relative spectator for the duration of his stay on the pitch.

Both introductions had massive impacts on the game, as Vidal recorded a goal and an assist, while El Haddadi offered more potency upfront and combined well with Messi and Suarez, while also assisting Vidal’s goal.