Sevilla 2-4 FC Barcelona: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis | LaLiga 2018/19
Barcelona scraped past Sevilla 4-2 to consolidate their position at the top of the table. The home side started swiftly and immediately applied pressure on the visitors. The hosts’ slick play was rewarded with a goal in the 22nd minute when a sweeping counter-attack was finished off by Jesus Navas.
Sevilla’s lead though was wiped off in a trice as Lionel Messi struck a sublime volley to level proceedings in the 26th minute.
However, in the 42nd minute, Gabriel Mercado took advantage of some poor Barcelona defending to hand Sevilla a half-time lead.
The second half assumed a similar pattern to the first with Barcelona controlling the ball and Sevilla waiting to pounce on the turnover. Yet, a certain Messi had other plans as he scored in the 67th and 85th minute to power Barcelona into the lead.
The Argentine also laid the ball on a plate for Luis Suarez to ripple the net in stoppage time.
While the victory helped Barcelona increase their lead at the top, the defeat left Sevilla in 5th position.
Here is a look at the major talking points from the game:
#5. Sevilla unlucky to come away empty-handed
The game ended 4-2 in Barcelona’s favour yet the score-line was hardly a reflection of the balance of play. The hosts were scintillating for large parts of the game and were extremely unfortunate to concede all three points to their illustrious rivals.
The Andalusian club seemed to have Barcelona’s number in the first half as they defended well, negated the space in midfield and continuously mounted menacing counter-attacks.
In addition, Sevilla’s movement off the ball was impressive. Their trait of playing with four at the back while attacking and switching to a five when defending tactically tied Barcelona in knots.
Moreover, the hosts’ bravery and composure on the ball was a sight to behold. The likes of Ever Banega, Pablo Sarabia and Quincy Promes enjoyed themselves in the first half and caused the visitors problems.
Over the course of the season, Sevilla has been one of the most entertaining sides to watch and they weren’t any different on Saturday.
Yet, football is as cruel a game as any and despite being the better side for three quarters of the game, they had to go home empty-handed.
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