Pedri .’s first-half goal had enough to help Barcelona beat Villarreal 1-0 at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday as they trail Real Madrid by 11 points in the LaLiga standings.
The only goal of the game came in the 18th minute after a string of favorable passes from Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri, who put the finishing touches on veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Lewandowski and Raphinha missed Barca’s second chance, while Villarreal’s best chance was squandered by Jose Luis Morales just before the break.
The result marks Barcelona’s 16th clean sheet, the most in Europe’s top five leagues.
rapid response
first. Unstoppable Barcelona extend LaLiga lead against Real Madrid
It was not Barca’s best performance of the season, but coach Xavi Hernandez was still widely praised as his team led the table with an 11-point gap. Real Madrid can close the gap to eight if they win against Elche on Wednesday, a match postponed due to their participation in this week’s Club World Cup.
Pedri’s goal was enough to give Barca an eighth straight win in all competitions – their longest streak since October 2017 – but they could have taken the lead. They started the game full of blood, pressing high and winning the ball back successfully. Lewandowski should have scored a one-on-one against Reina, but was denied. The Polish striker had another chance after Pedri’s shot but was saved by Reina.
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Even so, Villarreal, led by former Barca coach Quique Setien, thrived in the game. Morales’ chances were their best in the first half but they took the lead for large periods in the second half, something Xavi wouldn’t have enjoyed.
However, Barca have only conceded seven goals in 21 games this season for some reason, and centre-backs Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen have once again upped the challenge.
2. Araujo is important in Barca’s defensive record
The main reason Barca are at the top of the league at this stage of the season is their marked improvement in defence. They conceded 38 goals last season, averaging one goal per game, but have conceded only 0.33 goals per game in the current campaign, keeping 16 clean sheets.
That could be down to the signings of Christensen and Jules Kounde in the backline and the form of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but Araujo is perhaps the standout player in defence.
The Uruguayan made some crucial interceptions and tackles as Barca recorded their seventh 1-0 LaLiga win this season. No team in Europe’s top five leagues has more – Juventus is second with six.
Araujo’s speed of recovery is one of Barca’s great assets. That means if they lose the ball, they can rely on him to save them and quell the counter-attacks. He was booked against Villarreal, which means he will be suspended next weekend against Cadiz, but the positive is that he will be rested between two grueling Europa League matches. with Manchester United.
3. Setien couldn’t play the best of his old team at Barca
Quique Setien missed his chance to return to Barcelona, but his Villarreal side were not disgraced. Setien was heavily criticized during his bad eight months in charge of Barca in 2020 before he was sacked following a 2-8 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich. While he’ll never admit it, Sunday’s game offers a small chance for personal redemption.
Having beaten Real Madrid in LaLiga under Setien, Villarreal would have dreamed of their chance at home against Barca. They were out of the race for the first half hour but have improved since then. Morales squandered their best chance, heading into the net after a failed Pedri pass.
They kept pressing until the last minute but Barca, with their newfound stability in defense this season, held them back. There’s no happy ending for Setien then, but he may feel vindicated in a different way. Only two of Barca’s XI – Ter Stegen and Frenkie de Jong – made regular appearances during his time at the Camp Nou, which shows how much change is needed to get Barca back at the top.
Best and worst performers
Best: Ronald Araujo, Barcelona
Yeremy Pino must have been sick of watching the Barca defender. Every time he seemed to have found space, Araujo leapt forward to steal the ball.
Best: Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona
Perhaps the biggest benefactor of Barca’s switch to a four-man scheme, the Dutch midfielder is showing his ability to run the game.
Best: Pepe Reina, Villarreal
At the age of 40, the former Liverpool goalkeeper showed he can still play at the top with three excellent saves against Lewandowski.
Worst: Francis Coquelin, Villarreal
Lost the game in the midfield early on and was then forced off with injury in the 36th minute after a late tackle on Franck Kessie.
Worst: Jose Luis Morales, Villarreal
Missed the golden opportunity to level the score in the first half. During his days at Levante, his pace frequently caused problems for Barca, but he couldn’t really trouble Araujo and Christensen.
Worst: Raphinha, Barcelona
The Brazilian has contributed goals and assists since Ousmane Dembele’s injury but missed a good chance to seal the victory in the second half.
Highlights and remarkable moments
Pedri scored for Barcelona in the 18th minute with a smooth combination.
BARCELONA’S BEAUTIFUL TABLE 💨
Classic! pic.twitter.com/DMIMaqfpoI
– FC GAME (@ESPNFC) February 12, 2023
After the game: What coaches and players say
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez on the results: “It’s difficult — Villarreal plays against you, constantly pressuring, they want to control the ball. We tried to play attacking from behind. We penetrated a lot of good areas but lacked the last pass or the ability to make decisions to end the game. And if you don’t score the second, you can suffer at the last minute. But it was a good performance at a tough stadium. Those are the three important points in the battle for LaLiga.”
Villarreal coach Quique Setien on the results: “We knew in advance that we were going to face a strong team in great form. Almost everything was going on with them. We had a few chances that we didn’t take advantage of, that’s what we’ve been lacking lately. But overall, I think a draw would have been fairer. I have to admit they had a very good first 30 minutes when we couldn’t deal with them.”
Setién on why Barcelona are such a hard team to beat: “This Barca team is very fast and technical… but what has changed a lot about them is when they don’t have the ball. They are very aggressive without the ball and have repeatedly forced us to stretch. Most of the time. Like there was no moment in the first half where we were able to play comfortably from behind. The data is there, they’re the team that runs the most without the ball.”
Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)
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Barcelona’s 16 clean sheets are the most in Europe’s top 5 leagues (Juventus is second with 14 matches).
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Barcelona have won their last 8 matches in all competitions, 6 of which kept a clean sheet. The last time they won 8 games in a row was in August-October 2017, when they finally won 9 straight.
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Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen has kept 17 clean sheets this season in all competitions, the most for a goalkeeper playing for a team in Europe’s top five leagues.
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Barcelona the ultimate loss in all competitions arrives on October 26 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Their Last loss in LaLiga is on October 16 to Real Madrid.
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This is Barcelona’s 7th victory with a score of 1-0 in LaLiga this season. That breaks ties with Juventus (6) for the most wins by that scoreline in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season.
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Pedri has scored 4 goals in his last 7 matches against Barcelona in all competitions. He had three goals in his previous 22 games this season.
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Villarreal is experiencing its first three-game losing streak in LaLiga since February-March 2020.
Next
Villarreal: El Submarino Amarillo back into the LaLiga action next weekend when they head to Mallorca on Saturday, February 18 (live at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+).
Barcelona: Barca face Manchester United in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League series on Thursday, February 16 at 12:45pm ET. Then Barcelona make a quick change to host Cadiz on Sunday, February 19 in LaLiga (live on ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET).
