Three talking points from Getafe 0-0 Barcelona

A Barcelona team sans Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Ousmane Dembele, and Andreas Christensen again fell to a 0-0 draw against Getafe and extended the team’s spell to 270 rotten minutes without a goal across all competitions.

The Catalans had the better chances on the night and even hit the post twice during the game. They took a total of 18 shots with 11 on target and forced four saves from David Soria. It, however, was just not meant to be.

The result will not sit well with manager Xavi Hernandez for injuries cannot be an excuse for a team with such quality across all departments for three successive games. Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Getafe 0-0 Barcelona.

1. The misery piles on

The international break did not bore well for Barcelona. Ever since the return of club football from the fated period, Xavi Hernandez’s side have not won a single game in three attempts.

The defeat to Real Madrid derailed the Blaugranas’ Copa del Rey campaign embarrassingly as they lost by a margin of four goals. The next two clashes were anticipated to be easy ones for the manager’s liking on paper but have proven to be radically different from what was initially thought.

Matchday 28 of La Liga saw the Catalan kings pitted against Girona at home in a rather straightforward tie but ended in heartbreak when they could not open the scoring once at Spotify Camp Nou.

Tonight was more of the same for Barcelona, who have now seen two back-to-back 0-0 draws in the league. The last time such a situation arose was back in the summer of 2005.

After a promising run for most of the league campaign, the leaders appear to be going through a rather serious hiccup. One hopes the scenario brightens now with the return of some key injured players.

2. Subpar decisions and execution

The last two games have highlighted Xavi’s insecurities as a manager and lack of trust in youth players.

With Ousmane Dembele injured, one would expect the coach to choose a dynamic winger to join Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha in the final third instead of mourning the Frenchman’s absence.

Yet, Xavi did not call upon Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati or the youngser Estanis Pedrola or Angel Alcaron. The latter duo did not even feature off the bench.

Instead, he deployed Alejandro Balde on the left wing and played Jordi Alba at left back. It is safe to say that the new system did not reap any benefits but instead drastically brought down the team’s threat and creative ability in the closing minutes.

Yet, not all the blame lies with the manager.

The 11 players who stepped onto the field looked far more disinterested and indifferent to the game and its result than a set of players competing for the title.

Despite not being able to score for the second consecutive name, there was no frustration in the forwards but a sense of sheer complacency.

Not only was the finishing poor on the night, but the team as a whole. The near-zero creativity made it a game of few chances with aimless passing.

3. Will there be a title race?

What should have been a 15-point goal difference was cut off to 13 last week when Barcelona failed to defeat Girona. After all, Villarreal had beaten Los Blancos and provided the title to Xavi’s side on a platter.

Now, it has further gone down to 11. Nine games remain in La Liga, and a title race cannot be ruled out.

Barcelona’s winless run since the restart of club football has seen them drop four of six points in the two easier games on the calendar.

The Blaugranes next take on Atletico Madrid before traveling away to Rayo Vallecano at a tricky stadium. In such form, they will need every last ounce of luck to come back with the scalps they dream of.

Two defeats in the coming games would reduce the deficit between Barcelona and Real Madrid to just five points with seven more games to play. That is, quite clearly, a title race that can go either way.

It is high time the Azulgranas get a grip over themselves for they are ruining the prize set up on a platter for them. Only time will tell if they can turn around their fortune in the weeks to come and return to winning ways.