da bet esporte： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da aposte e ganhe： Barcelona have largely been underwhelming in their European conquests during Ernesto Valverde’s tenure at the club. And their biggest issue is stemming from their underwhelming defensive contributions.
On the chalkboard
It has been four years since we’ve last seen Barcelona as real contenders for the Champions League trophy.
And yes, every year they look formidable and many are inclined to list them as one of the favourites to get the coveted crown but when the real business starts and they face serious teams that can match their level, they crumble.
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After all, we’ve seen them embarrassed year upon year, regardless of the opponent or the venue – the catastrophes of Anfield and Rome are unlikely to be forgotten any time soon or ever, for that matter.
But even though we’re yet to see a failure of that magnitude happen in the ongoing campaign, stats do suggest it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Sleepwalking into another disaster
When we take a look at Barcelona’s season so far, it’s pretty easy to fall into the trap of false security.
After all, we’re talking about the current leaders in both of their respective campaigns – the Catalans are top of La Liga and their Champions League group and things seem to be fine. But they’re not. Not in the slightest.
The Blaugrana have already conceded 12 goals in 12 games so far across all competitions and even though that’s already quite a lot, it’s not that alarming.
What is alarming, however, is how many chances they’re leaking at the back.
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So far, in the three Champions League clashes they’ve played in the ongoing season, Valverde’s troops have conceded 16 shots per game which equates to a total of 48 at the end of the day.
That is just unacceptable, and no other top team in Europe concedes as much.
Liverpool, the leaders over in England, have conceded 9.3 shots per game, Bayern 10.7 and Paris Saint-Germain 8.7, just to name a few who are miles ahead of the Catalans.
Sooner or later, and especially once they face a much better opponent, Barcelona are bound to get found out and punished for their lack of effort.
And it really is a lack of effort.
After all, the Catalans were the team that ran the least on the third matchday of the Champions League with just 100.4km under their belts.
Slavia Prague, their opponents that night, for example, ran 115.2km which is significantly more than the Catalans.
And needless to say, that clearly shows who fought until the very end and who coasted the entire clash.
So far, this hasn’t played a major role in their campaign but sooner or later, their luck may run out and then, the cracks will start showing once more.
Because let’s not forget what happened at Anfield last season and in Rome the season before.
Could Valverde be heading to his third embarrassment in the near future?
If nothing changes, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he’s sleepwalking into one.