Talking points from Eintracht Frankfurt 1-3 Barcelona Femeni

Barcelona were away from home when they played their second group stage in the UEFA Women’s Champions League against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Blaugrana won 3-1 with all three goals coming in the second half after trailing 1-0 at halftime. 

The game proved to be quite demanding with Barcelona having to dig deeper than usual to comeback from a goal down and secure all three points.

Goals from Salma Paralluelo (2), and Mariona Caldentey saw Barcelona through their ordeal in Germany.

Here are a few things that were noticed during the game:

Away games in Germany are tricky

Barcelona Femeni has a record of struggling against German teams whenever they play away from home. It is worth mentioning that Barcelona’s only defeat in the Champions League last season came from such familiar situation. The team lost 3-1 away to Bayern Munich in the second leg of their encounter in the group stages after defeating them 3-0 in Barcelona. 

Their game against Frankfurt tonight showed glimpses of such troublesome slip-ups away to a German counterpart. The champions didn’t start the game as they would love to, and when they did grow into the game, they failed to take their chances in the first half and ended up going behind at halftime.

Too many chances spurned

When it comes to creating goalscoring chances, Barcelona sits at the top of the pile. However, Barcelona often times lack the lethality and ruthlessness required in front of goal. Their waste of goalscoring opportunities often goes unnoticed as the team is well-known for its huge wins. Barcelona often wins with ridiculous scorelines, hence, making up for the wasted chances. 

However, in games where the team fails to score as much as they usually do, their lack of clinicality in front of goal comes to the fore. In the El Clasico on Sunday, Barcelona could easily have been seven goals up before halftime, but instead chances upon chances were created with no goals to show for it.

Similarly, in the first half against Frankfurt, the team failed to convert their chances despite showing their dominance on the ball. Shots on target were lame and fired straight down the middle, hardly causing any trouble for the opposition goalkeeper.

One too many touches

Barcelona is a team known for its possession-based style of play, and the team never fails to showcase their technical prowess on the ball, exerting their dominance and dictating the tempo of the game. 

Against Frankfurt, Barcelona uncharacteristically lost possession of the ball a lot more than usual. Passing the ball into tight spaces, delaying a pass clearly meant to be delivered to a runner, and most importantly midfielders keeping the ball for too long.

Rather than deliver an easy pass into space for a teammate, some players tried to turn and weave their way out of tight spaces in a bid to dribble or pick the perfect pass. In the process, they run itno traffic, finding themselves isolated in a cluster of opposition defenders and end up losing the ball. 

Paralluelo, Mariona, Graham trio

The frontline of Salma Paralluelo, Mariona Caldentey, and Caroline Graham Hansen has been unstoppable this season. Barcelona is guaranteed to score with these players spearheading the attack and they’ve not failed to deliver in any game where they have started together.

Graham’s dribbling and ability to shoot with either foot, Mariona’s shooting and ability to play from midfield, as well as Paralluelo’s pace, finishing, off the ball movement, and versatility across the front line has proven to be a mountain of problems for opposition defenders.

World’s best player for a reason

Aitana Bonmati has long shaken off her slow start to the season and is now currently playing at an insane level perfectly befitting of the world’s best player. The Ballon d’Or winner has proven herself to be an integral part of the squad and she keeps delivering in every game. 

Aitana’s performance displays a telepathic understanding with the frontline. The midfielder is almost impossible to stop especially when she’s in tandem with Graham Hansen or when she makes a late run into the box to finish off an attacking passage of play herself.

Her silky touches and smooth transitions makes her almost unplayable and a joy to watch whenever she’s on the ball.

Barcelona now sit at the top of their group in the Champions League with six points from two games played. The Blaugrana’s next game will be played on November 26, when they face Athletic Club in the Liga F.