Barcelona 2 - 0 Villarreal: 3 reasons why Barca won | LaLiga 2018-19
FC Barcelona registered a win against Villarreal on Sunday night at Camp Nou to go one point clear of second-placed Sevilla atop the table. The home side had to play a mediocre but yet tricky game to claim the much needed 3 points. Draws from Sevilla and Atletico Madrid made sure the table looks very tight.
Possessing a carbon copy-like game-play that gives great emphasis to passing the ball around, both La Blaugrana and The Yellow Submarines were expected to pull off an exciting match on Sunday.
With some fine talents on both sides, spectators were glad enough to have seen the surmise proved right, thanks to some flamboyance from players like Ousmane Dembele and Santi Cazorla.
Nevertheless, the party was not in the final third, but rather in the heart of the midfield. Patches of military-like discipline and circus-like theatrics made sure the two-goal match looked more interesting than it actually was.
But let us look at what made the difference for the home side.
#1 Lack of creativity from Villarreal
Quite justifiably, this point could be attributed to favouritism towards the world beaters in FC Barcelona, as they were also not at their creative best. But when you come to battle the defending LaLiga champions at their own den, you must be prepared to create more and finish more. It just takes a single chance to kill the match for them.
The visitors seem to have not done justice to their squad on paper. Hitting the post twelve minutes after the start was their best chance, which came at the cost of Lenglet and Ter Stegen's miscommunication.
Against a team that urges all of its players to go out and attack, counter-attacks are the real trump cards. Despite having some young and creative players, the visitors failed to even flourish during the breaks.