Valencia make tired Barcelona suffer in the Mestalla
Barcelona just made it over the hurdle of the Mestalla, with a one-all draw. But to earn the point the vistitors needed to draw on all their reserves of pride and effort. This was a result the Catalans sweated blood for. The draw allows them to increase their lead in the League over Madrid and means they got something out of one of the toughest trips on the calendar, but they left the stadium exhausted.
Jordi Roura's team management for the game was non-existent. The same players who had suffered the physical battle in the Bernabéu on Wednesday came out to play, and it was obvious. Many of the team's stars were notably off the pace, because they simply had nothing left in the tank. Only the fact they have an abundance of quality and pride allowed them to deal, to an extent, with the storm Valencia unleashed on them.
In principle, after the game against Madrid, this was Roura's chance to rotate, but he decided not to. A mistake. Barcelona from the start were stale and Valencia were brave, pressing high up the park, and keen to make life difficult for the visitors.
At the start the game was a battle of mistakes. Both teams put the pressure on, squeezing the game into the midfield, meaning whoever made the first mistake would suffer. And it soon became clear that Barcelona's tired legs meant it was more likely the error would come from them.
The hosts struck first with a goal from Banega, a player who has been the centre of attention in the Mestalla this week. If he was tired for this match, it wasn't because he played on Wednesday (as Mourinho might say). He had something to prove to his coach; a defence of his professionalism in front of the cameras. The Argentine fulfilled his task. He was a livewire, made space and took advantage of a Barcelona mistake to make it 1-0. Eventually he ran out of gas and went off substituted.
With the scoreline at 1-0 and Barcelona all over the place things looked good for Valverde, but Barcelona are a team who, despite suffering, are not so easily beaten. With their rivals in front and recovering from a tough game in midweek some might give up. But not Barcelona. With more willpower than muscle power Roura's bunch kept up the hunt for Guaita's goal, and on one of their incursions Joa Pereira gave us a taster of tonight's Superbowl, bringing Messi down ridiculously. A penalty that was as unnecessary as it was clear. The Argentine converted with a missile.
In the second half, with Barcelona on their last legs and Valencia warily stalking them, Valdés pulled the game out of the fire for Barça, with a number of fine saves. When Villa came on and with Valencia also tiring things evened out, but it was still Valencia who had the better chances at the end, against an utterly knackered Barcelona.
Jordi Roura's team management for the game was non-existent. The same players who had suffered the physical battle in the Bernabéu on Wednesday came out to play, and it was obvious. Many of the team's stars were notably off the pace, because they simply had nothing left in the tank. Only the fact they have an abundance of quality and pride allowed them to deal, to an extent, with the storm Valencia unleashed on them.
In principle, after the game against Madrid, this was Roura's chance to rotate, but he decided not to. A mistake. Barcelona from the start were stale and Valencia were brave, pressing high up the park, and keen to make life difficult for the visitors.
At the start the game was a battle of mistakes. Both teams put the pressure on, squeezing the game into the midfield, meaning whoever made the first mistake would suffer. And it soon became clear that Barcelona's tired legs meant it was more likely the error would come from them.
The hosts struck first with a goal from Banega, a player who has been the centre of attention in the Mestalla this week. If he was tired for this match, it wasn't because he played on Wednesday (as Mourinho might say). He had something to prove to his coach; a defence of his professionalism in front of the cameras. The Argentine fulfilled his task. He was a livewire, made space and took advantage of a Barcelona mistake to make it 1-0. Eventually he ran out of gas and went off substituted.
With the scoreline at 1-0 and Barcelona all over the place things looked good for Valverde, but Barcelona are a team who, despite suffering, are not so easily beaten. With their rivals in front and recovering from a tough game in midweek some might give up. But not Barcelona. With more willpower than muscle power Roura's bunch kept up the hunt for Guaita's goal, and on one of their incursions Joa Pereira gave us a taster of tonight's Superbowl, bringing Messi down ridiculously. A penalty that was as unnecessary as it was clear. The Argentine converted with a missile.
In the second half, with Barcelona on their last legs and Valencia warily stalking them, Valdés pulled the game out of the fire for Barça, with a number of fine saves. When Villa came on and with Valencia also tiring things evened out, but it was still Valencia who had the better chances at the end, against an utterly knackered Barcelona.
