Three talking points from Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona

Only an Ousmane Dembele goal separated Barcelona and Atletico Madrid on Sunday night at Civitas Metropolitano. The Blaugrana suffered at times in the game but held on through the turbulent proceedings to seal three vital points.

Pedri, Gavi and Dembele combined for the team’s goal in the 22nd minute, pegging back the hosts after a dominant opening spell. The 70 minutes that followed saw Atletico create two big chances and take close to 15 shots, only to be denied by the visitors’ resilient defence and an in-form Marc Andre ter Stegen.

The win may not have been beautiful, but it was worth much more in terms of the positive effect it promises on the dressing room ahead of the start of the Spanish Super Cup.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points from the Catalan giants’ win over Diego Simeone’s side last night.

1. A sparkling centre-back pairing

The signing of Andreas Christensen on a free transfer from Chelsea was always seen in good light, but few expected him to have the impact he is currently enjoying in Catalonia. Initially thought of as a backup to the centre-back duo of Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde, the Danish international has cemented his spot under Xavi through merit.

Against Atletico Madrid, Christensen was immense. His remarkable anticipation cut off many Rojiblanco attacks at the root. All this whilst maintaining a spectacular accuracy in distribution led to a complete display.

In 90 minutes, Christensen recorded five clearances, blocked one shot, made three interceptions, a tackle and won four duels. Further, he made a whopping 102 touches and finished with a pass accuracy of 96%.

His partner, Ronald Araujo, showed that he dropped no form in his three months on the sidelines. The Uruguayan provided seven defensive actions on the night, but his biggest contribution was undoubtedly his heroic clearance off the line in the final minute of the game.

Andreas Christensen against Atlético Madrid:

– 102 touches
– 9 recoveries
– 5 clearances
– 3 interceptions
– 1 shot on target
– 100% aerial duels won
– 96% accurate passes
– Completed the most passes pic.twitter.com/swlFmLKadg

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 8, 2023

2. Jules Kounde – the highs and the lows

Kounde’s frustrations over not being played at centre-back are warranted, yet ironic as the Frenchman indeed does a better job at right-back. If the last few games are anything to go by, he is slowly transitioning into a good right-back.

Kounde was put to a stern test at Civitas Metropolitano, going up against Reinildo, Yannick Carrasco, and Joao Felix. He held his ground well defensively and ensured that Simeone’s side could not build up comfortably on the right flank.

The 24-year-old defender made a whopping six clearances, two interceptions, a tackle and blocked two shots against Atletico Madrid. In addition, he cleared one attempt off the line and also won ten duels on the night.

As good as his defensive show was, Kounde’s attacking contributions were minimal. Xavi could be seen reprimanding the right-back numerous times for his decision-making, for he repeatedly lost the ball in a timid fashion.

In 90 minutes, he lost the ball a staggering 22 times which was the highest by any player in the garnet-and-blue colours. Beyond the mere statistics of losing possession, Kounde seemed to lack the understanding of movements off the ball and passing combinations.

The youngster’s performance came with its own set of crests and troughs. Yet, it would appear that the positives significantly outweigh the negatives which can be worked on. 

3. The lone wolves

Coming back from the international break, Barcelona had a two-point lead over Real Madrid. They squandered the advantage in their first game after the restart by drawing the Catalan derby, helping Los Blancos return on level terms.

Matchday 16 saw a shock when Carlo Ancelotti’s men suffered a defeat to Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica, thus dropping three points.

A win at Civitas Metropolitano would hence gift Xavi’s men a three-point lead over their arch-rivals, and that was precisely what unfolded on Sunday night.

With 41 points in just 16 games, Barcelona now sit on top of the pack as the lone wolves having overcome the challenge of Atletico Madrid.

More importantly, last night’s win serves as a massive mental boost to the entire dressing room after a devastating midweek performance.

Despite being faced with the suspension of Robert Lewandowski and Jordi Alba, the Blaugrana held their own and battled through adversity to come out on top. After all, performances like these build the mentality of a champion team.