Barcelona vs. Celta Vigo: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
Barcelona exited to whistles and boos after losing 1-0 at home to Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Joaquin Larrivey scored the only goal of the encounter and goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez was sensational between the sticks for the guests.
Although Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar played the full 90 minutes together, they simply couldn't beat Alvarez, or the woodwork—something that will no doubt give Blaugrana manager Luis Enrique nightmares between now and Wednesday's Champions League showdown with Ajax.
There were a handful of standout performances at the Camp Nou, and a few underwhelming ones, and over the next few slides we'll highlight the best and the worst from the encounter.
Here are Saturday's individual winners and losers.
Winner: Sergio Alvarez, Who Was Spectacular in Goal for Celta Vigo
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Sergio Alvarez put on a goalkeeping clinic, Saturday, and made nine saves over the course of his side's 1-0 win away to Barcelona.
On the stroke of the half-hour mark, he denied Lionel Messi following Neymar's reverse pass, and shortly before the interval he dove to his left to keep Luis Suarez from opening the scoring.
In the 65th minute, the Celta Vigo goalkeeper stopped Messi again, this time from in close, and with six minutes remaining he made a spectacular save on the frustrated Suarez.
During the match, Goal's Ben Hayward used his Twitter account to express his surprise that current Barcelona manager Luis Enrique hadn't brought Alvarez with him to Camp Nou following his stint at Celta.
Loser: Dani Alves, Who Continues to Decline at Barcelona
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The days when Dani Alves was among the best right-backs in world football have long been committed to the past.
On Saturday, the Brazil international was once again more a liability to Barcelona than an asset—an attack-minded player who could neither complete a cross nor track back effectively on the defensive side of the ball.
In the 65th minute, he allowed Nolito the time and space to execute a delightful, back-heeled pass that found Joaquin Larrivey for what proved to be the only goal of the night.
Winners: Gustavo Cabral and Sergi Gomez, Who Were Monsters in Defense
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When Barcelona's attacking players weren't hitting the crossbar or being denied by Sergio Alvarez, they were struggling to get an inch on Celta Vigo's excellent central defenders.
Gustavo Cabral and Sergi Gomez were superb on Saturday, collapsing in front of their goalkeeper when Lionel Messi went on a dribble and leaving their lines to make accurate, well-timed tackles when the occasion required.
Shortly after the hour-mark, Cabral muscled Messi off the ball in the Celta goalmouth, and in the 86th minute Gomez made a vital clearance with the Barcelona maestro again looking to slalom through the goalmouth.
Loser: Gerard Pique, Who Wasn't Even in Barcelona's Matchday Squad
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Gerard Pique wasn't involved in Saturday's match—something that will no doubt serve to intensify speculation about his future.
Earlier this week, Fichajes.net (h/t the Daily Star) reported that Chelsea were considering a move for the Barcelona defender, and late last month, as the 27-year-old's struggles continued, ESPN FC speculated that he could be set to return to Manchester United, following another Daily Star report.
Whatever the case, something is clearly not right regarding his relationship with Barcelona, who might have done with the services of a capable centre-back against Celta Vigo's tricky forwards.
Winner: Nolito, Who Set Up the Goal with a Fantastic Back-Heel
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Celta Vigo created far fewer chances than Barcelona at Camp Nou, but in the 65th minute they made one of their few opportunities count.
With Dani Alves and Sergio Busquets seemingly unwilling to commit themselves to a tackle, Nolito danced through the pair of them before releasing teammate Joaquin Larrivey with a stunning, back-heeled pass.
Larrivey, who now has seven goals this season, gave the buildup the justice it deserved by stroking the ball into the back of the net.
Loser: Sergio Busquets, Who Was Substituted
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Coming into Saturday's encounter, Sergio Busquets had played the full 90 minutes of Barcelona's last five matches, and his only two substitutions of the season had come when his side were en route to 5-0 and 6-0 victories.
But against Celta Vigo, the midfielder was withdrawn as the Catalan outfit chased the game—a rare occurrence ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigon pointed out on his Twitter account.
Crucially, Busquets was at least partly at fault for Joaquin Larrivey's goal, and he seemed to lack the intensity that has characterised his play for so long.
No doubt Barcelona manager Luis Enrique will be thinking long and hard about his selections for Wednesday's Champions match against Ajax.
All statistics courtesy WhoScored.com
