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For large parts on Saturday night at Anoeta, Barcelona were outplayed by their hosts Real Sociedad. However, a stoppage-time header from Ronald Araujo ensured that the Blaugrana came away with a crucial victory.
The result was of great importance, more so considering that Real Madrid ended up dropping points against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
However, despite the positive outcome, Barça manager Xavi Hernandez was not entirely pleased with the performance of his players, considering how Sociedad were able to play around them for long phases.
Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo outlines the four shortcomings of the Barcelona side that angered Xavi the most on Saturday night.
The horrible start
Within the first three minutes, Barça conceded three turnovers with Gavi, Joao Cancelo, and Jules Kounde being the guilty parties, and it was a significant threat.
The interception of Kounde’s pass by Mikel Oyarzabal in the box was particularly concerning, and Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen had to deliver his best performance to deal with it again, having already saved a shot from Ander Barrenetxea in the first minute.
Poor and disorganised pressing
Real Sociedad applied significant pressure when Barcelona had possession near their box. Barça made attempts to press but the intensity was severely lacking, and players such as Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, and Cancelo were not giving their all.
Additionally, there were instances when there was considerable space between the Catalans’ midfield and forwards, allowing La Real to come out comfortably.
Xavi was unhappy with Barcelona’s performance vs Sociedad. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Little intensity in the duels
After the game, Xavi stated that Barcelona lacked “intensity,” which he deemed as “unacceptable.” The team lost numerous balls and battles, not helped by Alberola Rojas’ lenient refereeing.
In particular, Sociedad’s Mikel Merino, Brais Méndez, and Martin Zubimendi…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/barcelonas-four-shortcomings-against-real-sociedad-that-angered-xavi-report/
Author : Michel Durant
Publish date : 2023-11-06 09:45:36
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