FC Barcelona crowned Champions of Spain - Deportivo La Coruna - FC Barcelona – La Liga Match Review

FC Barcelona crowned Champions of Spain as Leo Messi & Co present the legend Iniesta a memorable parting gift.

Deportivo La Coruna - FC Barcelona – La Liga Match Review – 29^th April 30, 2018

The game featured very contrasting situations for the two teams involved. While a draw would see Barcelona crowned as La Liga Champions, anything less than a win would relegate Deportivo from the La Liga. It was a desperate situation for the home side and they were determined to give it their all at the Riazor Stadium.

Barcelona fielded a full strength team with both Dembele and Countinho given a start. The departing Iniesta was on the bench.Both teams were bent on attacking. It was Barcelona who broke the deadlock as Messi gave a through pass to Dembele. Unable to shoot, because of the lurking Depo defenders, Dembele gave a lovely cross to Countinho who sent in a fantastic curler to score the first goal.  The second goal followed in the 38^th minute. Messi got to the end of a perfect lob from Suarez and with a lethal volley made it 2-0 for Barca.

But the fighting Deportivo were not in the mood to give up. They attacked with energy and precision. Most of the times, the Barcelona defense and flanks were caught out  by the Depo players who managed some fantastic shots on goal. Barca also did their best to increase their lead, but were wasteful in front of the goal. The Depo goalkeeper Ruben (a product of La Masia) also made some great saves to deny Barca, especially Messi.

Depo had their first goal as Lucas Perez pulled one back before half time. In the 2^nd half Depo piled up the pressure as Barcelona started to panic. It was chaos in defense. Except Pique the rest were generally not up to the mark. A good counter from Deportive saw Emre Colak score from close range and it was 2-2.

Depo had the upper hand as the Barca defense and midfield started to crumble.  Valverde delayed his substitutions which added to the problems of the struggling Barcelona. Finally Countinho and Dembele were substituted for Paulinho (?) and Denis Suarez. Things didn’t change much as Deportivo looked to score again.

Despite all the chaos around him, Messi was more determined than ever to finish it off and he found an eager ally in Luis Suarez. The two combined to produce two quick goals in the last 10 minutes which broke the resolve of the brave Deportivo. Luis Suarez gave two perfect assists as Messi completed a well-deserved hat trick to make it 4-2.  By the time Andres Iniesta came in for Rakitic, in the last five minutes, the game was done and dusted.

It was very sad to see the inconsolable Deportivo fans, especially the sobbing kids, as their team were relegated. Deportivo were a good team, but it was too little too late for them. If they had put in few better performances earlier on, it wouldn’t have ended this badly for them. Hopefully they would come back strongly.

The Key Points:

The standout players for Barcelona in this game were Messi, Luis Suarez, Pique and Ter Stegen.

There are some major concerns in the Barcelona squad despite being crowned champions. Dembele and Countinho lack the stamina and physicality to last the entire 90 minutes. While they were good in the first half, they seem to disappear in the 2^nd half.

The Barcelona defense had been at sixes and sevens since the International break.  The form of Umtiti is a huge problem. He was the best defender in the world till the International break. Whatever happened while playing for the French team  - he came back lacking in confidence and speed. He seemed distracted and had been caught out during a number of occasions. He desperately needs some time off.

Similarly Jordi Alba (especially in this game) was overrun by the Depo players. He needs to be rested and substituted regularly so that he is fresh and at his best. Because of too much of work load, Pique and Ter Stegen were put under tremendous pressure. To be fair, they have taken up the added responsibilities admirably. But it had also resulted in errors from the two, which were not their fault entirely. Vermaelen, Semedo, Vidal and Yerry Mina should be used more frequently so that they are in line with the team tactics and style of play.

Whenever the team was under pressure, especially in the 2^nd half, Valverde refused to bring in the substitutions quickly. He seemed to wait for eternity, making the situation even worse. Also his choices of substitutions were odd. Bringing in Paulinho instead of Iniesta was totally baffling and it did not cause any major change in the run of play.

Luis Suarez, despite not scoring from the chances that fell to him, did a great job of providing three great assists to Leo Messi. He was also good in defending set pieces and creating counter attacks.

A determined and lethal Messi had been the difference in the Barcelona team this season. He had been their go to guy, taking up more and more responsibilities. With Iniesta leaving, the aging Messi needs to be rested more frequently. But I don’t see that happening any time soon. He is going to be overloaded with responsibilities next season.

Unless these problems are worked out by the coach and the players, it’s going to be one tough road for Messi and Barcelona in the upcoming season.

For now it’s time to celebrate!

After a dismal start and unexpected setbacks, FC Barcelona have managed to wrestle back the La Liga title from Real Madrid. 

Led by the imperious Leo Messi they have done very well to emerge Champions of Spain. He has literally dragged his team anbd inspired his team mates. He has gifted his Captain Iniesta a fantastic double to cherish as he leaves Barcelona, this season. Messi is a crazy guy. He does things that are totally abnormal in the most normal way. Till he continues to be crazy, there is always hope. As of now he has scored 32 goals this season. He is the first player to score 30 goals or more in 7 different seasons in La Liga.

Take a bow Leo Messi – you have been nothing short of awe inspiring!

Congratulations to FC Barcelona on being crowned La Liga Champions. It’s been a gritty and determined perfromance and to achieve it without losing a game is a commendable achievement.

Forca Barca!