FC Barcelona suffered its third defeat of the season on the lawn of Real Sociedad (1-0). At the end of a particularly fast-paced first period, Barça trailed following a goal from Sheraldo Becker. In the second, the Blaugrana never managed to shake up a well-organized Basque block. Barcelona finished this meeting with only one goal on target and without scoring for the first time this 2024-2025 financial year.
Real Madrid thus comes back to six points behind its Catalan rival with one more match to play against Valence CF.
Inaki Pena made two great saves against Mendes and Kubo in the first period. He can't do anything about Becker's goal shot at the back post.
In the second half, Pena again intervened against Oyarzabal with a mischievous lob in the 50th minute. Frustrating match for him having conceded on the only perfect strike from the opponent.
Jules Koundé was only overtaken once in the first half: on Becker's goal. From that moment on, the French international lost his footing, suffering several attacks from Becker.
Koundé mischievously saved his team against Becker by pulling his jersey just enough. Behind his back, the spaces were identified and exploited. Yamal's absence disrupted him offensively and defensively.
Pau Cubarsi demonstrated a little more difficulty in his management of his opposite number with a few avoidable mistakes. The Catalan nugget lacked tact and reaction to Becker's goal. On the counterattack, his presence and his positioning did a lot of good.
Cubarsi is again at fault on an unfortunate body orientation leading to Becker's missed lot. His returns were often life-saving abandoned by Koundé. Mixed match.
Inigo Martinez was serene and intelligent in his interventions with sometimes robustness. His malice contrasts with the academic nature of Cubarsi's attitude at his side.
In the second half, Inigo lost this control somewhat, often losing the ball in his camp. He saved his goalkeeper with a saving tackle against Mendes. His raises were sometimes unwelcome but he compensated with his perfect placement.
Alejandro Balde used his supersonic speed off the ball and in the left lane. The Barcelona full-back was very often in difficulty against Kubo in particular. His placement lacked relevance at times.
Balde was rarely served in good attacking conditions during this meeting. We will have to work on our centers, none of them have led to anything positive.
Frenkie de Jong takes a lot of risks from the start of the match to break lines. His start to the match fueled great hopes for the future. However, the Dutch international then lost this aspect. His blow to the knee may have caused him to lose speed.
At the pause, Dani Olmo (5/10) replaced it. His entry rhymed with more regularity in ball releases and more link between attack and defense. We remember his sequence of small bridge and inconclusive strike. At the end of the second half, he clearly lost influence.
Marc Casado took the game into his own hands with simple and intelligent passes. The Spanish midfielder is naive about Becker's goal allowing the ball to pass surprisingly well. He is clearly not the one who will be able to break lines and make a difference within the opposing thirty meters.
Casado showed us both his qualities and his faults in this match. He still struggles to greatly influence the opposing camp.
Pedri had a lot of trouble putting himself forward in this very aggressive and technical Sociedad midfield. The Spanish international once again embarked on difficult movements in the opposing thirty meters. The Catalan midfielder had the opportunity to shoot but got bogged down to serve his attackers.
Pedri was the author of several poorly executed bright openings in the second half.
Fermin Lopez was placed on a wing rather than in the heart of the game as usual. Obviously, the Spanish international lost influence and touched far fewer balls. It is clearly not his qualities to hit and dribble past his opponent.
Lopez had the opportunity to score on the hour mark with an easy shot for him but went astray. Missed match at a position that is not his.
Robert Lewandowski was particularly available to rezone and create an imbalance. The Polish striker was then much more clumsy in the zone of truth except for the goal refused in the first half.
Lewandowski did not succeed in the second half to highlight himself and create space in the opposing hinge. His controls were too often convoluted. We expect more from the championship's top scorer.
Raphinha very rarely touched balls in the zone gaining speed only once in the first half. The Brazilian international even had to change wings to obtain more automatisms. The vice-captain of the Barcelona club has rarely been able to gain depth and showcase himself.
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