Levante 3-1 Barcelona: 4 talking points as the Catalans suffer shock defeat | LaLiga 2019-2020

Levante UD v FC Barcelona - La Liga
Levante UD v FC Barcelona - La Liga

Barcelona fell to a shock 3-1 defeat to Levante at the Estadi Ciudad de Valencia, with goals from Jose Campana, Borja Mayoral, and Nemanja Radoja condemning the Catalans to their third defeat of the campaign.

Club captain Lionel Messi had put the visitors ahead from the spot with his fifth goal of the season - and 500th left-footed goal for Barcelona - after Nelson Semedo had been felled in the box by Jorge Miramon to seemingly set things in motion for another routine win.

However, an eight-minute blitz in the second half by the hosts saw Paco Lopez's men complete the comeback and pick up all three points.

The result was not what Barcelona would have bargained for heading into this fixture and in this piece, we shall be highlighting four talking points from the LaLiga game.


#4 Barcelona's good run of form ended

Levante defeated Barcelona 3-1
Levante defeated Barcelona 3-1

This season started poorly for Ernesto Valverde's men, with the Blaugrana picking up just seven points from their opening five fixtures.

However, the return of Lionel Messi to the fold sparked a turnaround in their fortunes and with the Argentine's inspiration, they embarked on a seven-match winning run in all competitions which saw them climb to the summit of LaLiga.

It was in this form that Barcelona came into the fixture against Levante and given the difference in recent results between both sides, a victory was largely expected for the Blaugrana.

When Messi - fresh from a return to the Argentine squad - put them ahead in the 37th minute, all seemed to be on course for an eighth consecutive win, but the hosts had other ideas.

While not entirely disastrous to their title defence, the loss in momentum from Barcelona means that arch-rivals Real Madrid have a chance to usurp them at the top of the table when they host Real Betis in the day's late kickoff.

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#3 More away day blues for the Catalans

Valverde's men have struggled away from home
Valverde's men have struggled away from home

Barcelona have been in pristine form at the Camp Nou this season, winning all five of their LaLiga games so far, scoring 21 goals and conceding just six.

They also picked up a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at home in the Champions League, but it is their away form which has caused headaches for Ernesto Valverde.

The Blaugrana failed to win any of their first four away fixtures in all competitions this season and this played a major role in their early-season falters.

Since a 2-0 reversal to Granada on matchday 5, the defending champions have won three consecutive away games in all competitions, but of those, only the win over Eibar looked convincing.

This latest way setback marks the third defeat Barcelona have endured from just six away fixtures this season and if they are to successfully defend their league title, Valverde will have to find a way to get his team performing at an optimum level away from home.

#2 Subdued performance from Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann had a quiet game
Griezmann had a quiet game

It has been a less than stellar first few months for Antoine Griezmann in Barcelona colours, as despite showing flashes of his brilliance and a high work ethic, the French international has not done enough in front of goal.

The 28-year-old was handed the responsibility of leading the line earlier in the season in the absence of Messi and Suarez due to injury, but he struggled to make a mark and there was a consensus that he was yet to fully settle into the club.

Though he has scored four goals, just one of those has come away from home and Griezmann is perhaps the embodiment of Barcelona's away struggles.

Against Levante, he did not do too much in the game, particularly after Luis Suarez left the fray and this does not bode well for the €120m man.

In total, he had just one shot, while he failed to complete any dribble or make a key pass in what was a highly frustrating performance for the former Atletico Madrid man.

#4 Luis Suarez limps off injured

Suarez pulled up with a Calf injury against Levante
Suarez pulled up with a Calf injury against Levante

When Antoine Griezmann signed for Barcelona, fans of the club licked their lips in anticipation of another exciting combination like the much-vaunted 'MSN'.

However, varying degrees of injuries have meant that the three men have not had much playing time on the field, but with the return to fitness of Messi and Suarez, the trio has impressed on occasion and all got on the scoresheet in Barcelona's 3-0 victory over Eibar.

Luis Suarez has been one of Barcelona's key men this season and has weighed in with six goals as they seek to make it three LaLiga triumphs on the bounce.

It is a no-brainer that he is crucial to all that Valverde hopes to achieve this season and they would need him fit and firing for their assault on all fronts.

However, having started the game against Levante brightly, the Uruguayan international pulled up with what appeared to be a calf injury and was substituted for Carles Perez in the 41st minute.

Though no official release has been made on the severity of the injury, Suarez could probably be ruled out of their midweek Champions League clash with Slavia Prague and with Ousmane Dembele's fitness still unreliable, Valverde would be hoping that Suarez returns to full fitness as soon as possible.

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Edited by Zaid Khan