Spanish club Barcelona failed to score in their frustrating opening La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano last night. The match marked the debuts of new signings Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. The club held ball possession for 68% of the match but was unable to score a goal.
Lewandowski put the ball in the net during the first half but the goal was called offside. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sergio Busquets also came close to scoring but were denied. Rayo Vallecano, who did not spend a single penny in this transfer window defended brilliantly for 90 minutes.
Barcelona attempted 21 shots, out of which 6 were on target. Rayo on the other hand only 2 on target. After completing 560 passes with an accuracy of 87%, it was odd to see Barcelona end on 0-0.
During the closure of the match, Sergio Busquets was sent off following his second yellow card for elbowing Falcao. The red card summed up Barcelona’s underwhelming evening as they failed to score in their 3rd consecutive La Liga game. That happened for the first time in 19 years.
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Barcelona fail to utilize their bench strength
Given the disposal of quality players in the squad, Barcelona manager Xavi failed to utilize the riches. The starting eleven featured debutants Lewandowski, Raphinha, Dembele, Gavi, and Pedri among others. But it was their bench that baffled many. They had Frenkie de Jong, Ansu Fati, and Aubameyang come off the bench. It wasn’t all as they still had Ferran Torres available.
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It was quite clear that new signings were not able to play as a team in the match. It would be something Xavi will want to improve in the upcoming matches. They still have to register their new signing Jules Koundé and Marcos Alonso.
Barcelona needs to see what combination suits them on the pitch as they have too much quality available. They won’t want to waste all that like last night.
What’s next for the club
It was hardly a surprise that Barcelona was not in good shape during their opening fixture. New signings need to cope with the pressures of the new league and adjust with the rest of the squad. A more refined performance will be expected when the club faces a tough test against Real Sociedad next week.
Rayo Vallecano will be pleased with their defense last night and will hope to continue the form against Espanyol next week.
