Magical Dembele, Brilliant Pedri: 5 Talking Points from Barcelona's 1-0 win over Sevilla | La Liga 2021-22
Barcelona are flying high right now as they produced yet another impressive performance against top opposition, this time at the Camp Nou. Sevilla came up short against the men in blue as the visitors succumbed to a 1-0 defeat thanks to a stunning goal from Pedri.
Although the scoreline suggests otherwise, Barcelona completely dominated the game and never looked under pressure from Sevilla. Except for a few counter-attacks which often went in vain, Sevilla had nothing in their locker to surprise or stun the hosts.
The Catalans attempted 19 shots, with as many as 6 shots on target. The Sevilla GL was kept busy throughout the 90 minutes, while Marc Andre Ter Stegen had a quiet day on his end of the pitch.
The visitors lacked the intent and precision to cause trouble for a rejuvanted Barcelona side. Xavi has not only developed a free-scoring team, but Barça are also a side that can defend for their lives, if need be. Though they didn't have to go to that extent last night, they did a commendable job at defending Sevilla's counter attacks.
FULL TIME! #BarçaSevilla https://t.co/HadVhFWLq8
Barcelona have grinded their way up to 2nd in the league table, while Sevilla are now in 4th, just 4 points ahead of Real Betis in 5th.
Barcelona secured a deserving win on the night to reach one step closer to their objectives for the season, while Sevilla need to get back to the drawing board and not let their season go to waste. On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Sevilla's outstanding 15 game unbeaten run comes to an end
Julen Lopetegui should definitely be proud of how far his players have come, despite yesterday's defeat and the recent elimination in the Europa League.
Sevilla have been an impressive team this season as they not only possess the best defense in the league, but have only tasted defeat thrice. The men in white were simply beaten by a better team yesterday, as indicated by the updated league table.
The men in white could never test Ter Stegen consistently as pique" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo dealt with everything that came their way. Anthony Martial was one of Sevilla's better players, but the Frenchman had no support and did not receive any significant chances to alter the scoreline.
#4 Back to back clean sheets against the two best teams in the league for Barcelona
@ActualiteBarca #FCB
Ronald Araújo on his future: “This week we have a meeting to discuss the contract. I hope it will be resolved soon so that I can continue many years in this club. I am optimistic”. 🔴 @ActualiteBarca #FCB
“I’m so proud to be Barcelona player, I’m happy - we’re working on it”. https://t.co/CP5Byegzkn
After a rather slow beginning to his tenure at Barça, Xavi is showcasing his tactical nous on a consistent basis. Furthermore, he is demonstrating a preview of what is to come by beating the best teams in the league in dominant fashion.
Before the international break, Real Madrid were the victims of a ruthless Barça performance. Los Blancos suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Xavi's men.
Barcelona have faced a combined 7 shots on target against two title challengers in Real Madrid and Sevilla. The defense formed by Pique and Araujo has been extremely robust, while the likes of Dani Alves and Jordi Alba have effectively soldiered on the flanks.
There is cohesion and coordination in this Barcelona side. Their lethal pressing is led by none other than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who remains a nightmare for any goalkeeper attempting to pass the ball out of defense.
#3 An Ousmane Dembele masterclass at show!
From being a wantaway figure at the start of the season to becoming an undisputable starter right now, Ousmane Dembele's journey this term has been something magical, to say the least. Nobody would've expected such a turnaround in the Frenchman's game and commitment.
It is yet to be seen whether the 24-year-old will put pen to paper with his current employers come the end of the season, but either way, Dembele remains one of Barcelona's most valuable players. The talent was always there but Xavi has succeeded in bringing out the best version of him.
As Barcelona chase Europa League glory and an improbable league triumph, Dembele can and will play a key role in deciding the Blaugrana's triumph this season.
#2 Sevilla are victims of lack of squad depth
Sevilla, without a shadow of doubt, have one of the best starting XIs in the league. They have scored 40 times this season while conceding just 20, and the likes of Jules Kounde, Ivan Rakitic, Joao Jordan and Lucas Ocampos are few of the top quality players they have.
However, Julen Lopetegui is not a very big fan of rotation and one cannot blame him completely for it. Only Youssef En-Nesyri is a proper threat from the bench, while the likes of Rakitic, Jordan & Gudelj have no like-for-like quality replacements in the team.
This is also one of the reasons why they were knocked out of the Europa League and are currently sitting 4th in the table, behind the big three (Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid)
#1 Is Pedri the best under-21 player in the world?
We've got Pedrimania https://t.co/W8XCXwQIlU
At 19 years of age, Pedri is scoring clutch goals like Lionel Messi while controlling the deep ends in midfield like a young Andreas Iniesta. The Spaniard is undoubtedly Barca's most valuable player as he continues to shine for the Blaugrana.
Pedri produced one of the most beautiful goals of the season to secure 3 points for his side at the Camp Nou. In the 73rd minute, the 19-year-old got on the end of an Ousmane Dembele cross and controlled the ball with this left foot. Pedri went on to drop two players in Ivan Rakitic and Diego Carlos, before unleashing an immaculate shot into the bottom left corner.
With a whopping 80 touches, 85% passing percentage, 5 long balls completed and 7 duels won, Pedri had one of his best games for Barcelona yesterday. The Spaniard capped it all off with a beautiful goal. Let's hope Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli step up tonight as they watch a fellow U-21 player at their level singlehandedly win a big game for Barcelona.