Barcelona lose yet another game as Valencia race to a stunning 2-1 win at the Camp Nou
Barcelona succumbed to an incredible 2-1 loss at home against a spirited Valencia side continuing their incredibly poor run of form ever since their El Clasico loss to arch-rivals Real Madrid. Luis Enrique's men failed to get the better of Valencia and have now thrown the title race wide open.
Barcelona began the first half with the same squad that has started most of the matches in the second half of the season with the only notable change being the introduction of Sergi Roberto – who replaced Dani Alves as the right-back.
While Barcelona enjoyed a chunk of the possession, it was Valencia who really caught the eye with their quick slick passing that left the likes of Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets dumbfounded in the centre.
What further helped Pako Ayestarán's men is the fact that Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique were booked early in the first half completely sidelining their ability to use their force and take the ball away. Barcelona had to depend on Iniesta, Busquets and Mascherano to do the dirty work.
Valencia's two goals were exactly the kind of goals that an open attacking side like Barcelona despise. Play on the break, a pacy forward on the shoulder of the back line, a lob or a through ball to release him. Ivan Rakitic's own goal and Santi Mina's goals both followed this blueprint – something Enrique is yet to work on.
The second half started much like the first with Barcelona hogging most of the ball while Valencia sat back and defended deep. The second half, however, saw a host of heated exchanges between multiple players especially involving Mascherano.
But just when Barcelona needed someone to do what they do best, Messi stepped up and put away an inch-perfect Jordi Alba cross to breathe some life into the Camp Nou. While the crowd – and the team – were rejuvenated, Valencia sat deeper and essentially 'parked the bus'.
As the minutes rolled on, it became increasingly frustrating for the hosts as they were unable to get behind the Valencia defence with Suarez caught offside almost every time his teammates looked to release him. Neymar was not the player he usually was while Messi had too much to do from a little deeper for him to really influence the game.
This result still leaves Barcelona in first place but Atletico Madrid are level on points with them while Real Madrid are only a single point behind.