Barcelona Goes Down without a Fight at the Mestalla

Quique Setién faced his first defeat as the Barcelona Manager and if things don't improve, may not be the last one. He has some tough questions to solve to fix this team.

FC Barcelona were handed a footballing masterclass by Valencia in being efficient and finding the chinks in the opponent's armor. This was done despite Barcelona hogging more than 70% of possession, the only positive from the match at the Mestalla.

Some may argue that what is the purpose of having so much possession if you are not going to make any changes. These so-called, fans aka Valeverde fan boys don't have a clue about how bad Barcelona have become. It will take an almighty effort for Setiénto fix this and there will be early hickups.

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FC Barcelona vs Valencia Highlights Video | Barca - 0, Valencia - 2

Quique Setién was handed his first defeat as Barcelona coach at the Mestalla against Valencia. His side went 2-0 down to a Valencia side who despite the lack of possession was decisive and rarely troubled. Two goals from Maxi Gomez were good enough for the victory, who hasn't managed to win against the Catalan side for the last seven encounters in the league.

Check out the highlights from the match below:

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Barca's Ibiza Performance shows the need for Saurez's Replacement, Pretty Quickly!

Barcelona's performance against Ibiza clearly demonstrates the need for signing a replacement for Luis Suarez. The youngsters are promising but not yet ready to step into makeup for the absence of the prolific striker.

There has been a whole set of the debate taking place regarding Luis Saurez's injury in the social media circles that surround FC Barcelona. So far both the side, (one which doesn't want the replacement considering the Boateng debacle and the other which wants the replacement ) weren't able to make a definite case on their side.

Barcelona's struggles in Ibiza have brought in a middle path and now almost everyone demands a replacement. With just days left for the transfer window to close, the time afforded to Barcelona is very limited. So do the kind of choices available to them.

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Why Quique Setién should not be Worried about Barca's Ibiza Performance?

Despite the team remaining more or less impotent for the greater part of the match, Setién should not be worried much with what happened at Ibiza and instead keep working on the positives.

Barcelona's performance against Ibiza has damped the spirit of rejuvenation we have experienced recently. It also brought back some of the doubts regarding this team once again to the forefront. The away form already was a worry. the arrival of Setién was supposed to fix this. Will he be able to fix it?

Once again, Barcelona dominated the possession which was indeed a good sign. Earlier in our away matches, we were struggling to even keep possession, so that's a welcome change even if the opponent was a Segunda B side. In any case, Barcelona was not in full strength.

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FC Barcelona vs Ibiza Highlights Video | Barca - 2, Ibiza - 1

Ibiza - 1 | FC Barcelona - 2

FC Barcelona survived an almighty scare to win their opening match against Ibiza in the 2019-20 Copa Del Rey competition. It was Griezmann's twin strike which saved Barcelona from a huge upset after going behind in the 7th minute. Barcelona managed to draw through Griezmann only in the 72nd minute and won the match in the 4th minute of injury time.

The pitch and the condition, also the revamped starting line-up made a prospect of an upset very true as I mentioned in my preview to this match. Check out the highlights from the match below:

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Barcelona vary of Upset in New Copa Del Rey Format

Barcelona is vary of the potential for an upset as they face Ibiza in Copa del Rey. The one-legged affair where the bigger teams play away from home could present a lot of issues for Setién’s team.

Barcelona Football Club opens its 2019-20 Copa del Rey campaign when they travel to the town of Ibiza to face the Segunda B side. Barcelona would be hoping to make amends in the competition after their disappointing 2-1 loss in the final. That defeat took away the chance to write a Glorious history in the Cup.

Despite the fact that the opponent is a Segunda B side, we have enough to worry about. The new format which is introduced this year allows for one match per round until the competition reaches the final stage. That means one bad day, is enough to get you out of the competition.

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Quique Setién makes these Tactical Changes to Re-energize Barcelona's Identity!

There has been a herculean difference between how Barcelona is playing now under Quique Setién and how they were doing under the sacked Valverde. And for many that in itself is a huge impact!

It always helps to do a tactical analysis of a game a day later. First, you don't have to break your head on what to write for the day, second, if the game is good you still would be re-entertain yourself with that great performance and most importantly it gets you thinking straight as the dust has already settled.

Even after a day, the happiness of seeing Barcelona going back to their roots hasn't diminished a bit. Like Gab Marcotti said in his ESPN Podcast, it was so great to see Barcelona back.

Hello Barcelona, Glad to See You Again!

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