Focus Time : Jordi Alba vs Real Sociedad (2-1)

After lots of point loss, The Catalans needed that second win in a row to get higher on the league table. This time Real Sociedad (first in the league) went to the Camp Nou. Koeman made a few changes compared to the last match. Without any surprises, Jordi Alba and Sergino Dest started again. In the past years, FC Barcelona has struggled to find the right fullbacks for the team. However, in this aspect, this season is different. This time I’m going to focus on Jordi Alba, let’s see how he did!

He was one of the players who got the most criticism last season. However, this season seems to be better than the last one. Yesterday’s match was an example of this. The game started intensively, and he was involved in most of the attacking. He gave a few precise passes to Braithwaite or Griezmann, but none of them could finish it. After the opponent’s goal, the team could answer quickly. Alba was in the right place at the right time and scored a beautiful equalizer. Before the end of the first half, the Catalans tried to push and take the lead. It was successful because thanks to Alba’s great assist, Frenkie De Jong scored, and the team took the lead in the first half. The second half was not half as good as the first one. The team struggled to score more, and Sociedad tried to push.

Great but not perfect

Jordi Alba had a very decent game. However, there are still a few things which he could pay attention more. His connection with Messi is amazing and very useful but not always. Sometimes he’s too busy to find Messi on the pitch rather than pass the ball to somebody else who’s in a better position. Furthermore, I think he loses concentration more than he should in his position. If he can avoid his usual mistakes, he’s still one of the best in his position, but he has to be more concentrated.