With Barca’s previous blunders making them a longshot to win the competitions they’re already in, the one competition they could still theoretically win came back for its annual knockout rounds.
The stage was set for Barca to kick off their Ro16 tie against Napoli, with the first leg taking place in Naples and the second taking place back in Barcelona. Barca needed to get off to a good start to instill any confidence in a squad that needs a lot of it right now, but it wouldn’t be easy, as their shaky defensive structure was going up against the vicious attacking duo of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Add in the fact that Barca has shown a lack of reliability in the attack for months now and you could sum up the tie as unpredictable, yet exciting.
So off we went from Naples, as it was Napoli against Barca, two clubs trying to salvage seasons that have been full of trying times.
First half
The first half was fine for the most part.
Barca instilled their will early on, finding link up play to be easily accessible, and creativity from the midfield and attacking line was impressive as well.
It was a welcome sight, considering just how much this midfield and forward line has struggled with link up play over the last few weeks. Plus there was an added level of intensity from the two groups as well, with their pressing and their will to drive forward against a Napoli midfield that looked overwhelmed early.
These developments led to a few chances early on, with Lamine Yamal and Ilkay Gundogan both unleashing powerful long shots that were on target, but eventually saved by Napoli keeper Alex Meret.
Robert Lewandowski also had a chance to score, but his shot was narrowly saved by Meret as well.
Barca were building pressure, all they needed was a goal to open the floodgates.
But around the 30th minute, things started to change a bit. Napoli began to press with more intensity and their efforts were rewarded. They began to win the ball back quicker, set up their possession structure quicker, and they seemed to be a step ahead of Barca when it came to second chance balls and loose balls.
This led to a sustained 15 or so minute period of pressure, when Barca had to defend in their own third more than they’d like. Luckily the period didn’t end in any goals, but unfortunately it was a sign of things to come in the second half, a period where Barca struggled mightily to find success attacking wise and were put under a lot of pressure defensively.
Second half
As mentioned before, the second half saw Barca struggling to replicate the success they found in the first half.
Napoli continued to put on pressure, keeping Barca from heavy possession and forcing them into mistakes due to the pressing intensity. Barca escaped from this period again without giving up a goal, but more importantly, they were able to find a goal for themselves to ease the pressure just a bit.
Robert Lewandowski opens the scoring
Lewandowski was given some service from Pedri, but the Polish star was in a weird spot, so he had to dribble a bit and find some space to even make this chance count. He did just that though, finding just the sleekest of space to fire off a low driven, near post shot that rolled into the back of the net.
1-0 Barca.
But the joy was a bit short lived, as Napoli went right back to pressuring Barca and forcing them to lose possession in quick succession. This led to more sustained pressure and an eventual goal, but to say it was coming felt a bit wrong, as Barca were effectively maintaining a defensive structure that helped quite a bit.
Victor Osimhen draws Napoli level
In the 75th minute, Napoli drew level courtesy of Victor Osimhen.
His goal was so awkward, because if Iñigo Martinez didn’t flop around like a fish trying to defend Osimhen, then the end result probably would’ve have been a goal.
But Martinez did what he did, giving Osimhen a free look a goal, one he didn’t waste whatsoever.
1-1, with 15 minutes and stoppage time to go.
Barca looked vulnerable and looked to be on the verge of conceding again. But there wasn’t another goal in the process, as Napoli couldn’t dig out a goal even with all the possession they had sustained.
The match ended, with all to play for in the second leg in Barcelona.
Final word
It was a tale of two halves for Barca.
In the first half, there was pure control and dominance from Barca, plus some much needed stability on the defensive sides of things. They created chances — although they should’ve finished off the ones they did create for themselves — and found life easy linking amongst each other in Napoli’s midfield and in their final third.
But os much changed in the second half, which has been the story for Barca for quite a while now. They find success, implement it for 25-30 minutes or so, but fail to sustain it over the course of an entire match.
A lot of that has to do with focus and intensity, however for Barca there hasn’t been a whole lot of it consistently, which explains their struggles over the last couple of months.
The second leg presents a lot to play for, but Barca will walk into it with some cautious optimism. If they can sustain dominance consistently, then they *should* win this tie with no problem. As long as their defensive structure can maintain itself, which has proven to be a big doubt recently.
If they fail to impose their will though, they’ll undoubtedly get bounced out of the Champions League and will begin their summer early, which for Barca standards is a failure beyond comprehension.
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match will be this Saturday against dreaded Getafe.
I’ve been a big time Barca fan since I was 14 years old. I love the club, the history, and the tradition that the club has built over its prestigious history. Forca Barca!
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