Barcelona vs Granada [1-0] Barcelona Match Review

Welcome back to TalkBarca. Our topic for today is the Match Review of Barcelona vs Granada. We welcomed Granada to the Camp Nou and played our first game under Quique Setien. Well, Barcelona ended up winning 1-0 and this may not be the biggest wins of the season in terms of number, but, it has a huge value for us in the long run. We saw a totally different FC Barcelona. Barcelona completely dominated Granada leaving them in misery. We played really improved football, and as a fan, this makes me immensely happy that how much potential we still have.

Quique Setien also said in the post-match interview that this is just the start and there is a lot more to come. This means that good days are coming back and we can surely expect great attacking football in the coming weeks. Furthermore, our players also showed improvement under Quique and his tactics. Ansu Fati looked really good, Puig had his playing time, and even Messi looked to be a better version of himself. Man of the night was surely Sergio Busquests and we are going to discuss him in detail down below.

Barcelona kept heavy possession and this is exactly the kind of football we are used to watching from our team. We kept rotating the ball and the game was really entertaining despite that we only scored one goal. Every player looked involved and Ter Stegen kept a clean sheet after quiet some time. To my surprise, our Centre Backs looked really organized as well, and for me, this was one of the biggest improvements seen in this game. All in all, it was a great day for the Cules, and I surely hope that we continue with the same zeal and keep winning. So, without further ado, let’s start our Match Review of Barcelona vs Granada.

BARCELONA VS GRANADA MATCH REVIEW

STARTING LINEUP

We saw a different lineup from Quique Setien which totally worked for us. Quique exactly knew how to use his midfielders especially Sergio Busquests. Despite our defensive crisis, Quique went with 3 Centre Backs, and it totally clicked. We did not concede any goal and that certainly proves successful defensive work.

Goalkeeper:

Ter Stegen started in goal, and as I mentioned above that he ended with a successful clean sheet. However, major credit goes to our midfield who totally bossed the Granada team. Granada players did not have many chances to interact with Ter Stegen and even when they did, Ter made sure to dodge their bullets.

I think that the potential of Ter Stegen is going to shine more and more under Quique Setien because he is certainly going to get his Sweeper role. Our main focus is certainly the Champions League and I want to see Ter Stegen lifting up the Yashin trophy next time. Therefore, it is now our time to shout out loud that FC Barcelona is back in Europe to dominate everyone.

Defenders:

Quique played 3 defenders. He opted Umtiti above Clement Lenglet and surprisingly Umtiti did a better job. As a matter of fact, all our defenders did a good job and made sure that we don’t concede any goal. I won’t say that we were superbly good or simply World Class on that day, but, we certainly got the job done, and made sure we don’t leave as many loopholes in our defensive line than we usually used to.

Umtiti – Pique – Roberto trio also clicked a bit as all of these players know each other really well, and have shared the pitch for quite long. Our young Right Back, Semedo did not get any playing time. However, I am sure that he is going to shine a lot under Quique Setien considering the talent he is.

Midfielders:

Our midfield was the best thing in this game, wasn’t it? Come on tell me about it. Did we not enjoy the way we moved the ball, made small passes, especially the ones between 2-3 players. We witnessed such a beautiful display of football, creativity, and total dominance. I can’t get over the fact that we are about to play that kind of football again. This thought sends down chills through my spine.

Also, we are forgetting one thing. Frenkie De Jong wasn’t even a part of the lineup today. Ansu Fati, Vidal, Rakitic, and Alba played in the midfield along with Sergio Busquets who was the holding mid. Wow! What a great thinking and creativity. We know Jordi Alba is usually really involved in the attacking game so why use him in the defense? Quique certainly put an end to the textbook football Ernesto Valverde was following.

We played in a World Class manner on the day. Listen guys! Mark my words, this midfield and this type of gameplay is going to dominate Europe.

Attackers:

Our attackers really showed positive football as well. However, it was certainly not the best of the days for our front men considering that we only scored 1 goal. However, the important thing is that both Messi and Griezzmann were really involved in the game. This is the football you want to see from your team. Scoring goals is our criteria, but, only for the sake of winning games. It doesn’t matter who scored the goal unless it is for the team’s sake. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the true Barcelona policy.

BEST PLAYER:

Sergio Busquests:

I was waiting to get to this part. Sergio was the absolute king in this game today. He is the guy who was extremely criticized under Ernesto Valverde, and guess what? Quique comes in and shows what kind of Grand Dad Busqi is for the opposition. When Busquets is playing on his peak, you don’t need any other midfielders, he is the whole midfield in himself.

Granada completed 130 passes in the entire game while Sergio alone completed 145 passes. That’s 15 more passes than the entire team. He also completed these 145 passes in only 179 touches. I bet your holding midfielder can’t do this. I am really about our performance guys. It’s our time to shine.

Verdict:

Anyways, guys, this is it for the Match Review of Barcelona vs Granada. I hope you liked it. What are your thoughts on our performance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below. Until next time, Visca El Barca!