Five things we learnt from Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Barcelona

Barcelona’s unbeaten run continued on Thursday night as the side took the number to 14 games without a loss.

Travelling to Germany for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Europa League was never going to be easy. Yet, the team walk away from the game with a draw, and a good chance to qualify through next week’s second leg.

The performance was far from Barcelona’s best. To say that the Germans were the better team on the field for most of the game would not be an understatement.

That said, it is a pattern that has repeated itself this season. Against Galatasaray and Napoli, too, the Catalans drew the first leg before eventually winning the second fixture. One hopes the same pattern continues at Camp Nou next week.

1. The puzzling lineup

Barcelona play Levante on Sunday and host Eintracht Frankfurt next Thursday. With five more games in April, Barcelona have their work cut out for them. Needless to say, a couple of rotations were expected for the first leg clash at the Deutsche Bank Park.

One expected Ferran Torres to be benched on the night after his poor finishing against Sevilla. Moreover, the Spaniard has not seen much rest since his move to Barcelona.

However, Xavi opted to start Adama Traore over Ousmane Dembele on the night. The Frenchman has been the Catalans’ best player over the past month, and to see him start on the bench came as a surprise to many.

Frenkie de Jong too was given a much-needed break and Gavi took his place in the lineup. While the youngster’s tenacity is a valuable addition to the midfield, the absence of de Jong meant that Barcelona would not have as much control over the middle of the park.

2. A dull first half

In the opening half, the Blaugranes did not look like a side that came to win. As Oliver Glasner’s side piled on attack after attack, Barcelona looked happy to sit back and defend.

It was Xavi’s side that got the chance to go ahead first. In the third minute, Ferran Torres’ shot seemed set to give his side the lead. However, Kevin Trapp pulled off a sensational save to deny the Spaniard.

After that, the entire half revolved around Eintracht Frankfurt. Despite having only 37% of the possession, the Germans had eight shots in the first half. They registered three shots on target, all of which were saved.

Statistically, the hosts were superior to Barcelona in shots taken, shots on target, big chances created, and counter attacks. If not for Ter Stegen’s three saves and ditch heroics from Gavi and Busquets, the Blaugranes would certainly have conceded in the opening 45 minutes.

3. Game-changing substitutions

The two big names – Frenkie de Jong and Ousmane Dembele – excluded from the starting lineup came on at the hour mark. It did not even take five minutes for the duo to turn the game around for Barcelona.

In the 66th minute, Dembele cut in and played a reverse pass to Frenkie who on the edge of the box.

The Dutch international immediately spotted Ferran Torres unmarked and played a sequence of passes with the winger. The former Manchester City forward eventually tucked the ball into the bottom corner.

In 28 minutes on the field, de Jong recorded one assist, a key pass, a successful dribble, one blocked shot and won four duels.

Meanwhile, Dembele provided two key passes, five crosses, two long balls and attempted four dribbles. Needless to say, the duo changed the game for their side.

4. Aubama-who, Aubama-where?

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been in sensational form since his move to Barcelona. In ten games, the Gabonese striker has found the back of the net nine times. Most recently, he scored a brace against Real Madrid in El Clasico.

The former Arsenal captain has hardly had a bad performance for Barcelona until the international break. However, that streak ended yesterday.

Against Eintracht Frankfurt, Aubameyang was almost invisible. He only had ten accurate passes in 90 minutes, having only one shot in the game.

The striker was clumsy in his movement and passing, and could not combine with the midfielders at all. He was not able to get on the end of crosses either, with several chances from Alba and Adama getting wasted.

An off night form the Gabonese was a big part of why Barcelona struggled to create goalscoring chances in Germany.

5. All to play for in the second leg

Ahead of next week’s clash at Camp Nou, the score is tied at 1-1. Both sides find themselves in a must-win situation, with the consequence being elimination if they fail to do so.

Barcelona undoubtedly have the upper hand in the tie. The second leg will be in front of their fans, and the psychological pressure of playing at Camp Nou might turn out to be the Germans’ undoing.

Moreover, the absence of the away goals rule means even a draw will not be sufficient for the Frankfurt-based side.

It has been a common trend for Barcelona to draw the first leg and then produce an all-round performance in the second game. They did it against Napoli and Galatasaray and will look to repeat the same next Thursday.

It remains to be seen if Gerard Pique and Sergino Dest return in time for the vital clash. The Europa League is Barcelona’s final chance of winning silverware this season, and they must get past Glasner’s side to achieve it.