Barcelona added yet another point to their La Liga tally after drawing (1-1) against Valencia in Mestalla. Undoubtedly, the match will forever be remembered for the referee’s inability / unwillingness to award a clear goal in the later stages of the first half.
Barcelona players and supporters are right to feel frustrated after such valuable two points were taken away unfairly. However, the way in which Ernesto Valverde’s team continued to fight for a victory despite facing such degree of adversity is admirable, making the this one of the most enjoyable matches of the season so far.
Francesc live-tweeted the game as it happened:
Valverde with the solid 4-4-2 that helped Barca dominate Juve in midweek – with Messi starting ofc, which gives more dynamism and purpose upfront.#ValenciaBarça #FCBLive— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
First half hour proving why Valencia currently 2nd in La Liga. Barca needs to step up their ball-flow in the final third to win this.#ValenciaBarça #FCBLive— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
Shameful that La Liga are STILL light years behind other major leagues in terms of VAR. ????????♂️ https://t.co/AWEIbnzqbY— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
Messi + Iniesta = MAGIC pic.twitter.com/3GyuCcboiM— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
@DriscollFC @Charlie_Barca @TheBarcelonaPod @hiltond13 crazy…top two teams in the league…if this happened in England it would be a scandal pic.twitter.com/wG5WL00Cj4— James Culé (@Jaymin6879) November 26, 2017
6 shots on goal and clear dominance of possession in the first half. Barca may not be too spectacular for some, but man are they solid.#ValenciaBarça #FCBLive— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
As anticipated: This IS the hardest match Barca have played all season. Containing Valencia after the break proving very difficult, but we should go on to win if we can keep the clean sheet.#ValenciaBarça #FCBLive— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
High pressure ✅
Ball recovery ✅
Ball movement ✅
Shots on target ✅Suárez offsides ❌
— Luis (@CheloFCB10) November 26, 2017
And Valencia score. Gayà with a Jordi-Alba-like overlap and perfect assist for Rodrigo. Won’t be easy to turn this around, but must continue to try.#ValenciaBarça #FCBLive— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
Rakitic coming off after yet another performance lacking in impact upfront. Deulofeu coming on should also bring a return to 4-3-3.#ValenciaBarça #FCBLive— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
Bringing on Denis, Aleix when losing such a crucial game is sacrilegious: Thank you to Bartomeu and co for their genius summer.#ValenciaBarça #FCBLive— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
GOOOOOOOL ALBAAAAA!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/fTZ83ETOvE— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
Who was your Man of the Match? ???? Listen now: https://t.co/fLAGXG4CY1— Francesc????TheBarcelonaPod (@TheBarcelonaPod) November 26, 2017
Match Stats:
Player Ratings:
Ter Stegen – 8
Semedo – 6
Umtiti – 8
Vermaelen – 7
Alba – 8
Busquets – 7
Iniesta – 8
Rakitic – 6
Paulinho – 6
Messi – 8
Luis Suarez – 6
Subs:
Deulofeu – 5
Denis Suarez – 5
Aleix Vidal – 5
We talked about the importance of the clash vs Valencia, the imperative need of adding quality to the Barcelona squad and Messi’s influence right here:
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