Barcelona and their defensive lapses!

After brace draws against the likes of Celta Vigo and Paris St. Germain, albeit, away from the Camp Nou, Barcelona's defensive liabilities have been brought forward. On closer inspection, it looks way more horrible and childish than it looks in real-time. Here is a bit I analyzed and I was really disappointed at what I saw.

There are hundreds and thousands of columns written everywhere on Barcelona's attack; but there are very little which discuss how fragile their defense is, and if you attack them instead of parking the bus, you are bound to found openings, create opportunities and score goals against them; that is also without hitting them on the counter-attacks.

I took some clips down, thanks to soccer-blogger.com, who do a magnificent job of posting highlights so that you can get your goal videos. I get mine from there, you can get yours. Here is how Barcelona started against Celta de Vigo in the Spanish League; on Saturday, they might have won the league already but these visuals will encourage teams like Celta to actually play their football, you might get pummeled, you might get a highly creditable draw especially when you are hosting Barcelona.

The first issue I saw from that game was that the defense was not tracking runners, instead they were moving in to cover space; where there were no players or just standing still, even sometimes coming in each other ways. Here is a visual of that Isna goal; the first that Celta scored.

Two defenders alongside each other, two attackers along side each other

Look at the players who have been left alone in this visual, there are two players from Celta who come in front, and there is one on the edge of the area; unmarked as well. Where are the Barcelona players going? on a stroll, possibly? I have been hihgly critical of the dfensive side of Dani Alves and here is another example of his incompetency at doing a defender's job, where is he actually heading? who is he marking? who is at the position where he is going? Instead if he makes a move to come in front of the two Celta players, there was a chance that he might get to the ball, or atleast had a slight possibility of blocking out the attempted ball; but here is where you will find Alves in the next visual; the visual where the goal is actually scored.

Conversation time for Barca players as they all huddle up

The player who was left unmarked at the edge of the area has made the simplest of run in behind the two advancing Barca defenders who have gone and make a circle on top, marked with orange and black, that is why I said that they are coming in each other's way. Now look at the players unmarked, there are three players and Dani Alves is behind both the Celta players; the supposedly best right-back should have come in front or atleast tried to make his presence felt but possibly his mind is set on a counter-attack from that position; who knows.

Too much overconfidence or just lack of defensive competency? You be the judge of that one but as far as my verdict goes; this is just impotent defense; and the next visual proves it.

Culprit for this one is again; partly Alves, but mostly the Center-backs and the desire to huddle up during the game; I wonder what were all of them players talking about? Possibly about a trip to Paris; possibly about something else....what ever it was; there was another player, again unmarked, and the Barce defenders not covering runners, but standing still.

Alves is not marking; the other two are closer to each other than a Celta player

Identical things in this one? Two Celta players once again standing shoulder to shoulder with each other, no one marking them, Alves behind the two, and one player left un-marked. How very similar it all sounds?An exquisite finish, I must say but from a side that is touted as the BEST EVER CLUB SIDE, can you expect such defensive organization? I must say they are the best when it comes to attack, but they look awful when they are defending, and even the slightest bit of good-play can open them up like this.

There might be some who complain about how they thrashed a good side in AC Milan recently; but let me tell you; young Niang could have put Barca in a whole lot of trouble if he had finish that one-on-one chance; now do tell me, how many players will miss such opportunities; ask Zlatan because he did'nt!

As we move to how they conceded against PSG, once again with the ball, attacking, they look as good as ever, but once the PSG players grew a bit of confidence and belief, Barca was just holding-on to a thread, which they soon let slip.

Not good on set-pieces either, okay, you can argue that with the height of some players, defending set-pieces must be difficult, but height is not the first requirement when you talk about defending a set-piece; it is the desire, bravery and commitment that enables one to defend a set-piece efficiently. Barca players had none of it!

Similarities? Both sets of players congested a different places!

Thiago Silva wins a header, he is unmarked, how many times have I actually written this word; un-marked, the only player close to him is his team-mate. Where is the defense? Who is challenging the ball? Actually, this is impotency; no one marking the biggest threat from such scenario for PSG; Thiago Silva, no one was marking Zlatan Ibarahimovich as well; if you consider him as the biggest threat. With both target-men unmarked, there should be no complains about the off-side decision because Barca was lucky enough that that fantastic header from Silva hit the cross-bar, that header deserved a goal. Zlatan then powered it home to score against Barca again; bet on him to get one at the Camp Nou, especially after seeing this kind of defensive lapses from Barcelona.

Ibra climbs all over Alves, I have lamented Alves a lot so I am going to mention his delightful pass to Messi fro the first goal as well so you guys do not heat up, knocks it down for Matuidi who just hits it in hope, A wicked deflection at the end takes the tie to a draw, but with Barcelona having the two away goals; they will go through but with their defensive liabilities it is going to be a very difficult semi-final for them unless they can keep a 60+ possession percentage; looks difficult as Bayern, Real or even one of Dortmund or Malaga make it through, as all are very good in keeping possession; Clean the defensive act up Vilanova!