Barça has started 2018 in Camp Nou as it wants to go on with a hard-won Spanish league victory against Llevant thanks to goals from Leo Messi, Luis Suárez and Paulinho (3-0). With Philippe Coutinho waiting to pull on a Barça shirt, the team has totted up three more points more in its solid trajectory towards the league title.
Dembélé in starting eleven
Barça manager Ernesto Valverde has frequently said he would not run any risk with Ousmane Dembélé, out with injury since September. A February return for the Frenchman seemed on the cards, but the process has sped up after he first appeared in the previous game at Vigo. Dembélé's presence was the big news in a starting eleven in which Ivan Rakitic took the place of the suspended Sergio Busquets. Moreover, Gerard Piqué was also rested with a view to the team's busy January calendar.
Barça's rival was Barça itself. On a grey and rainy Barcelona afternoon, the Valencian visitors Llevant were also affected by some key absences and had their minds partly on their upcoming Cup match. The early kick-off, the half-empty stands and the relatively unappealing nature of the contest contributed to disorientate Barça in the opening minutes. But Valverde's team once again showed its professionalism.
Llevant let the home team have the ball, attempting to play counter-attack without exposing themselves at the back. The Valencians managed to reach the area defended by Ter Stegen, but beyond that, paid for their lack of talent. Talent which, as scarcely needs to be stated, was in evidence at the other end of the field, where Leo Messi was today celebrating his 400th match as a blaugrana.
Without wings
Messi never has a bad day. The instructions given to the Llevant players were clear, and manager Juan Ramón López Muñiz intended to stop the Argentinian from progressing by land, sea or air. The number 10 was the target of most of the fouls committed but managed to make a crucial breakthough with one of his trademark moves. His combination with Jordi Alba once again provided a fantasy play to break the opening duck. Messi's smiling fury after the goal spoke of the conquest he had made.
Valverde's Barça team, with its new trident, leaves the touchlines to the fullbacks and the strength of Alba and Sergi Roberto tips the balance in their favour. The team did not exploit the momentum achieved with the opening goal. Dembélé was effectively blocked by Oier and Luis Suárez found the goal a little small for his shots. Llevant resisted, but Barça, following its recent pattern, transmitted solidity as a base for pulling out a victory.
The quest for the second goal saw every attack beaten off but Barça eventually found the net after a Messi free kick went narrowly wide. Mascherano sent a very long ball through for Sergi Roberto. From his own goal line, the Barça fullback centred on first touch, to Suárez's territory in the heart of the area. The Uruguayan controlled the ball with his left foot to shoot the 2-0 with his right. Prize for persistence to a striker of more intangible merits than statistical ones.
Recovering sensations
With the three points in the bag, Barça and Valverde dedicated the second half to moderating their efforts and giving Dembélé some playing time. The Frenchman stayed on the field to accumulate minutes and Ter Stegen had his share of protagonism. The German goalkeeper, in a permanent state of grace, saved Llevant from scoring by stopping shots from Ivi and Shaq.
After 65 minutes, Dembélé left the field to the applause of Camp Nou, but with face downcast, as the attacker is conscious that his lack of fitness is still affecting his performance, and he is still far from the brilliance of his days at Dortmund, in spite of the persistent support of Messi. Nélseon Semedo went on and Sergi Roberto switched to the central midfield. But Llevant could not change the script and had enough to do in maintaining defensive order, far from putting a relaxed Barça under any pressure.
The tempo of the match dropped away and so did the chances. The ball stopped circulating and Barcelona, in spite of having no worries about the result, had a great many difficulties in generating plays on goal. The final minutes of the encounter only served to reveal some hidden technical details from André Gomes, to confirm that Thomas Vermaelen has left behind his former label of "fragile" - in a game where he did not make a single error - to see the league debut of Jose Arnaiz and finally to let Paulinho score his seventh goal of the season, in injury time.