Barcelona 1-2 Valencia: 3 flops who cost Barca the Copa Del Rey title
Barcelona have suffered another massive disappointment just less than a month after their disastrous Champions League exit. They have gone through a long journey to reach another Copa del Rey final, but Valencia emerged to be the better side this time.
The Catalans started to crumble after their abysmal first half resulted in Rodrigo Moreno and Kevin Gameiro's goal. They tried to bounce back and successfully scored a goal thanks to Lionel Messi. Unfortunately, the Argentinian's brilliance was not enough to save the Catalans.
Ernesto Valverde fielded a strong team against Marcelino's men, starting most of his first choice players including Ivan Rakitic and Gerrard Pique. They dominated possession throughout the game, but the team's difficulties to contain Valencia counter-attacks eventually led them to their demise.
Now, let's take a look at 3 flops who cost Barcelona the Copa Del Rey title.
#3 Jordi Alba
The Spaniard displayed another abysmal performance in such an important game. He was one of Barcelona's most disappointing players at the Anfield disaster due to his defensive error. Now, the 30-year-old seemed to repeat his weak defensive showing due to his struggle to contain Valencia's suddent attacks.
The fullback did virtually nothing to help Barcelona's defense as he failed to register even a single successful tackle throughout the Valencia game. He got outpaced by Carlos Soler which eventually resulted in Valencia's second goal. He also made several meaningless crosses due to Barcelona's lack of presence at the Valencia box.
No one has doubted his offensive capability, but his abysmal defensive contribution costs Barcelona a lot sometimes. He has hit past his 30 and might not have much time left to play at the top level. Hence, Alba should do a lot more to justify his recent contract extension.