Barcelona 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Highlights and 5 Talking Points

#3 The pressing conundrum of the Catalans

One of the major reasons for Celta Vigo’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Barcelona last week was the high pressing game they executed. Bayer Leverkusen exercised the same and managed to put the hosts to the sword for much of the first half.

It was they who visibly created the better chances going forward and the Blaugrana were trembling to cope with it. Leverkusen were treacherous even without the ball and their intelligent moves in the box helped them gain the lead from a set-piece.

Although the high-pressing tactic left the men in white energy-sapped by the end of the game and eventually buckled under the pressure of Barcelona, it is a ploy that can still yield dividends if the team is a far greater proposition, like Real Madrid. This may cause some serious problems and the defenders’ title aspirations will land in jeopardy.