Three talking points from Real Valladolid 1-2 Barcelona | La Liga | OneFootball

Three more points, and Barcelona get closer to the league title after the result they secured at Jose Zorilla on Saturday night.

The Catalans were overwhelming favourites against the struggling and relegated La Liga team and taking three points was seen as a mere formality. However, the hosts did not make it easy for Barcelona.

They took the lead early via Ivan Sanchez in just the 6th minute after a terrible deflection, but Barcelona levelled the scoring in the second period via Raphinha before Fermin Lopez netted the winner.

Seven points currently stand between Barcelona and Real Madrid, who play their game later today. Should Los Blancos lose to Celta Vigo, the Catalans can be crowned champions by defeating Real Madrid next weekend.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Real Valladolid 1-2 Barcelona.

A semi-successful rotation

Hansi Flick heavily rotated his team against Valladolid. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

With a critical second-leg tie against Inter Milan up ahead, the plan was always for Barcelona to rotate heavily against a struggling Real Valladolid.

As expected, Hansi Flick did not hold back with his changes as he kept Lamie Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez and Wojciech Szczesny all on the bench.

The relatively second-string Barcelona team comprising Ansu Fati, Dani Rodrigues, Pau Victor and others was considered good enough to get the better of the hosts and even register an advantage.

Flick’s idea, needless to say, was to provide the forwards as much rest as possible while swapping out Pedri for Frenkie de Jong at half-time to ensure both players have 45 minutes to recover.

Real Valladolid’s early goal and subsequent tight defence, however, changed everything. Barcelona were struggling a goal down even at half-time, and while they did dominate possession, they could not create much threat on goal.

The manager, as a result, was forced to call on several starters early in the second period with Yamal, Raphinha and Olmo all playing vital roles in helping fight back for the three points.

All in all, the players did get some much-needed rest but not as much as the coach would have hoped.

Andreas Christensen leaves a mark

Andreas Christensen put on a decent performance. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

The rotated Barcelona team left mixed impressions, with some players impressive and others disappointing.

One player who left a serious positive mark last night, needless to say, was Andreas Christensen.

The Danish international has been out of action from the beginning of the season through injury, and thus away from Flick’s plans from the very start. His first appearance came against Inter Milan earlier this week and last night, he made his first start.

Playing at the heart of the defence, Christensen did not look rusty in the slightest despite his prolonged absence from the field. His passing range was phenomenal, he did not scuff any of his distribution attempts and his defensive recoveries were sharp.

Most importantly, the Dane showed remarkable presence of mind in maintaining the offside trap playing the high line and was solely responsible for catching the hosts’ attack offside on multiple occasions.

It is safe to say that Flick will be impressed by Christensen’s presence of mind, and application of the offside trap, and that last night’s performance can be the start of serious ascendency for the veteran.

There have been rumours of a potential departure, but such performances can go a long way in turning his situation around.

Disappointments aplenty

Many Barcelona players struggled against Valladolid. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

As promising as Christensen and the likes of Ronald Araujo, Gavi and Dani Rodriguez were, several of the players Flick trusted with the start did not quite hit the mark expected of them.

For starters, Hector Fort’s performance did not win him any favours as he looked unstable defensively and lacklustre in the final third. He did come close to scoring but atoint in the game did he look like a long-term full-back solution for the club.

Ansu Fati was the second player who did not do as well as expected. One hoped the La Masia star would come up with a performance better than his last one, but he lacked any inspiration going forward.

Ansu did indeed threaten on goal with a couple of strikes, but he did not seem to have the right understanding to create spaces and get into open areas. His finishing was too predictable and his lack of pace seriously hindered his attacking ability.

In the end, he was hooked off at half-time, primarily because he did not even track back when Barcelona were not in possession, something that is a non-negotiable in Flick’s system.

Pau Victor was another who barely added any value to Barcelona’s game. Starting as the striker, he offered nothing of substance, scuffed two chances and left the field in the second half no more important in the manager’s plans than he was before.