Leaders in the classification and in suffering. First but with a morrocotudo scare. Barcelona has an angel in the League. Because he was saved in a very poor second half against Celta, who dwarfed him but suffered Ter Stegen, once again a miraculous savior. The match should serve to get ahead of the classic, to recover the illusion and sensations and to pick up morale for the big week against Inter and Real Madrid. But only the lead was saved and thank you.
The seventh consecutive victory for the Blaugrana was dramatic, not soothing at all. The reaction after the 1-0 in Milan lasted half an hour for Xavi's team. He went from dominating to being dominated after the break, held up by the German goalkeeper's saves, in supreme form and his 624 minutes without conceding in the championship. Lewandowski didn't even score, very gray. The good initial staging ended up being overshadowed by a version of the minor Barça that in no way resembles the new and electric one of August and September. Lautaro, Dzeko, Benzema or Vinícius will hardly fail as much as Celta's strikers.
In eleven were the three left sides of the squad. Balde playing on the right, Marcos Alonso on the left-handed central, pairing up with Piqué, and Jordi Alba occupying his natural position. That meant that the three captains, as in Mallorca, were starters. Up to six players from the team chosen by Xavi were already in their thirties, something unusual in a team that has rebuilt itself and that thinks about the future.
But Barça did not seem slow, stagnant or lazy, quite the opposite. He had verve, strength and hunger. Because he played to the rhythm set by the couple Pedri and Gavi. Young people have long since taken power in the Blaugrana team. They drag veterans down and infect them. One is the soul, the other the brain.
Watching Gavi run from end to end, to recover the ball by diving to the ground, launch the counterattack and end up in the small area jumping to try to finish in the air, it is impossible that the rest are not active. Witnessing the control of the ball, the poise, the collective sense and the slaloms of Pedri, it is normal for the rest to want to move the ball quickly so that it reaches him as soon as possible.
But it is that in addition the canary and the Andalusian wanted to get rid of the bad taste in the mouth of Milan. They were not fine or comfortable in the Champions League against Inter. At the Meazza they only connected three times in 86 minutes. But his start to the match against Celta was exquisite. And not only because both originated the 1-0. Gavi unmarked himself into space on the left as if he were a pure winger and crossed into the heart of the area, where he raised doubts. So many that Unai Núñez, the Celta center-back, made a mistake. He wanted to cut the shipment and avoid Lewandowski's goal but he left the ball dead in the area and gave Pedri the half-made goal. The canary had a prize for following the play to the end and not giving up. Because he only had to push the ball, with Marchesín beaten.
But that was the fifth time in less than twenty minutes that Barcelona was prowling the goal. Alba had tried with a center that Ferran Torres incomprehensibly failed to hit, Raphinha looked for it in a rehearsed free kick with a distant but very powerful left foot, Lewandowski approached with a header and the Valencian tried a thread but it came out very focused.
The two wingers had, with their ownership, an opportunity to make things difficult for the coach. The Brazilian played in his preferred position while the Spanish international had played very little after the national team break. But Raphinha could hardly beat Galán, although he asked for a penalty that seemed very clear except for Munuera Montero, who even got angry with the Barcelona player and accused him of jumping into the pool. For his part, Ferran Torres seems more blocked every day that passes and the fans begin to get irritated. Nothing worse than receiving a ball from Pedri, who made an extraterrestrial play, with tunnels, dribbles against four rivals, and losing it as soon as it reached your boots. Even in the second half he had the misfortune to clear a Piqué shot that looked like it could make it 2-0. He not only deflected it but he was also offside.
Barcelona scared Celta so much that it took almost half an hour for the Vigo players to have a long possession and settle in the opposite field. But everything seemed to indicate a placid local victory turned into nerves after the break, and even into a suffering that seemed forgotten in a League where everything was going smoothly.
Barça lost the initiative and Celta, who could hardly breathe, became emboldened. The constant losses of the ball by Xavi's men led Iago Aspas to start fueling his attack. The Galician is a fearsome footballer when he faces the Blaugrana and more with spaces. Every time he thought of a move was an opportunity.
And luckily, the Barcelona fans thought, that Ter Stegen did not damage his back in the clash with Balde for which he had to be treated. The German grew up before his black beast, the celestials and his captain. Óscar finished high with everything in his favour, Veiga ran into the foot of the Barça goalkeeper, who was later saved thanks to the posts and offsides. Galán and Paciencia shot to the woodwork, but the plays were no longer valid. That yes, the scare does not remove it nobody to the Barça. Not the leadership. Because although he ended up withdrawn, losing time and trembling, he was able to secure victory and will arrive at the Bernabeu first. The moral will have to wait.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Balde (Sergi Roberto 77), Pique, Marcos Alonso, Jordi Alba (Eric Garcia 86), Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Pedri (De Jong 63), Raphinha (Dembele 63), Lewandowski and Ferran Torres (Ansu Fati). 63).
Vigo Celta: Marchesin, Hugo Mallo (Óscar Mingueza 93), Nuñez, Aidoo, Javi Galán, Gabri Veiga (Solari 75), Cervi (Paciencia 84), Fran Beltrán, Óscar, Larsen (Carles Pérez 75) and Iago Aspas.
Goal: 1-0, min. 17: Pedri.
Referee: Munuera Montero (Andalusian Committee). He showed yellow card to Unai Núñez (min. 61), Aidoo Jr (min. 70), Alba (min. 71), Óscar (min. 71) and Busquets (min. 85)
Incidents: 81,525 spectators at the Spotify Camp Nou.
