Nervy Barcelona Win over Athletic Bilbao Still Shows Signs of Progress
Across most of Spain it was a sunny, lazy Sunday, but the Basque country is different. The climate is unpredictable, often unfriendly, and this was the case on a wet and wild evening at the San Mames Stadium, with rain lashing down.
On days like these, playing at La Catedral—the Cathedral—can even be compared to the sort of challenge oft-pondered when Barcelona are mentioned in the United Kingdom.
Could the Catalans cut it on a cold night away at Stoke City? Well, this is Spain's equivalent. And that’s before you consider the fact Athletic and the Potters both play in red and white stripes and have raucous, committed support.
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Of course, Athletic usually play better football than Stoke as well as providing just as much of a physical challenge. Their high, intense press led to an enthralling encounter, which Barcelona won by a single goal courtesy of a header from Ivan Rakitic in the 21st minute.
That scoreline and the minute in which the Croatia international scored don't tell much of the game's story, though.
First and foremost, this was a good result for Barcelona. As mentioned by several players and coach Luis Enrique himself, playing in the San Mames is not a simple task.
"It won't be easy. Not now. Not ever. And my players know that," the Asturian tactician said in his pre-game press conference. And so it proved, but that doesn't mean Barcelona need be worried.
There were nerves, sure. There often is when just one goal divides two teams, because any mistakes that lead to even half-opportunities could be fatal.
Those feelings are exacerbated when Marc-Andre ter Stegen stands between the sticks. And quite often, not between them, chasing the ball in other areas.
Athletic hounded and harried deep into Barcelona territory, pushing the Blaugrana back, but they stayed true to their philosophy. And as noted by Guardian journalist Sid Lowe, they were in a rare position where they were looking to counter-attack despite actually having plenty of possession.
The technical qualities of goalkeeper Ter Stegen and the defenders in front of him allowed Barcelona to ping the ball around in tight and dangerous areas, where other sides would have been tempted to go long to clear their lines.
There was a scare early on, when a poor pass by the German goalkeeper was pounced upon by Benat. Instantly memories of Barcelona's 4-0 defeat by Athletic here in the Spanish Super Cup last season came to mind, when the same stopper had a hellish evening.
However, the midfielder's rocket of a shot was straight at Ter Stegen, smashing back off the German's chin and out to safety. Perhaps it was the wake-up call he needed.
Having sold Claudio Bravo to Manchester City, the first-team position in LaLiga is his now. And that moment aside, it was an impressive and compelling display by the 24-year-old. He completed 46 passes, a record in the Spanish top flight for a goalkeeper since the 2005/06 season.
Shots flew in on his goal and he dealt with them all, though actual clear-cut chances were few and far between for Athletic.
Ter Stegen was precise with his aim and alert to any danger, zipping out of his goal to get the ball, comfortable dribbling it around opponents and starting attacks.
He is more than just a sweeper-keeper. It would be unorthodox but not unfair—or too much of a jump—to say he is an extremely deep-lying playmaker.
Because of his curious but effective playing style, any fans of his team will suffer the odd jitter while watching him play. But he has ice water flowing through his veins instead of blood, and he thinks he's only going to get better from here on out.
"It was my first game after the injury and it's always tricky to return, but in the coming games I will have a bit more confidence in the things that I do," he said, per Mundo Deportivo (link in Spanish). "I am very well, and the knee too [after injury], now we will see how it goes in the next few weeks."
More confidence, you say? Ter Stegen is incredibly comfortable in the team, and it will be interesting to see if his game develops further the more matches he plays.
Until now he has only featured in the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey, barring injury to Bravo. Now able to play in the league, too, he is only going to keep improving and likely become more daring.
And while Athletic attacks did raise Barcelona nerves, the truth is this could have been a rout in the visitors' favour. That is not to say that Athletic did not compete well or were outplayed, but only shambolic finishing prevented the visitors from settling this long before the end.
Arda Turan and Luis Suarez were the guilty parties mainly, both spurning fine chances laid on by Lionel Messi. The Argentinian was not at his finest, a little marginalised by the way Athletic pressed and Barcelona looked to coax them apart to spring fast attacks.
However, he still carved open the Basque defence on various occasions, with his team-mates letting him down on his 350th game for the club when it came to the finishing.
Arda played well on the whole, his recent form making a mockery of Turkey's decision to cut him from the national-team squad for the upcoming games, but he should have found the net on a couple of occasions.
He is also not the quickest, and had Neymar been playing—with the Brazilian back home after the Olympic Games—Barcelona would have been able to extract more joy on the break.
Luis Suarez, meanwhile, was having one of the worst evenings in a Barcelona shirt, at least since his adaptation period finished. On another day, he would have scored on multiple occasions.
Just like the 4-0 defeat by Liverpool in pre-season, not ending up with a big win here could be a blessing in disguise; it keeps minds sharp and focused.
"I'm happy with the result against a team of this magnitude, and it's a result that has strengthened us," Luis Enrique said, per Silvia Gonzalez of Sport. "There were too many mistakes at the beginning, I don't know whether that was because of us or the success of Athletic."
The coach will be happy also with the performances of some of the lesser lights in the team, on a day where the stars didn’t shine so brightly.
Sergi Roberto put in a phenomenal shift at right-back, both in defence and going forward, and in turn that allowed Rakitic more freedom and less chores to do. Both excelled.
So, too, did Jordi Alba, who at times last season looked like a weak link, but on Sunday night he was superb.
Samuel Umtiti paid back Luis Enrique’s faith in him by performing his duties calmly and diligently at the back, although the coach turned to the experience of Javier Mascherano before the game was out, taking off the Frenchman midway through the second half.
Denis Suarez was useful in midfield, full of clever runs that created space—a big improvement on his showing against Real Betis on the opening day.
Just two games into the season, Barcelona have hit the ground running. The only real negative is that the impending international break could upset their momentum or cause injuries. If Luis Enrique had his way, Matchday 3 would be coming right up.
This was the coach’s 100th win as Barcelona’s boss, in just 126 matches, beating Pep Guardiola’s 139. What will worry the rest of the league, and indeed Europe, is that it might take less than that to rack up the next century.
Rik Sharma is Bleacher Report's lead Barcelona correspondent. All information and quotes obtained firsthand unless specified. Follow him on Twitter here: @riksharma_
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