Barcelona Responds With Hard-Fought Win Over Athletic De Bilbao

This one wasn’t easy, as a physical Bilbao team nearly forced Barcelona to another frustrating tie, but tried-and-true combinations and a relentless Leo Messi kept the league leaders 5 points clear of Madrid.

The game opened with a quick goal: Xavi, from midfield, found Alves behind the defense, who touched the ball neatly to an oncoming Villa, who deftly drove it home.  Four minutes gone by, and Barça looked to be on their way to an easy victory.

The pace of the game stayed fast, with neither side holding possession for long.  Llorente’s skill created a dangerous chance for Bilbao in the 10th minute, as he was able to work around Pique and deliver a perfect cross that was headed just wide.

The next twenty minutes saw frenetic back and forth action, with the referee allowing aggressive tackles from both sides.  Barça at times controlled the ball deep in Atheltico territory, but plays were broken up and counterattacks were mounted.  Villa had a lovely chip go off the crossbar, and by the 30th minute play seemed to finally slow down, as the home side began to impose their rhythm on the match.  At the 32nd minute, possession was a staggering 81 percent in favor of Barcelona.

Athletic had a second golden opportunity in the 37th minute, as a counterattack led to a perfect cross and a free header for Llorente, but Pinto made a spectacular diving save.  Before halftime Barça had some chances of their own, but solid central defense from Athletic kept out Villa, and Pedro was sent roughly off the ball near goal—a clear penalty that was not given.

Three minutes into the second half, a penalty was given—Abidal’s ill-advised backwards pass was off-target, and in an effort to poke the ball away from Llorente, Busquets got mostly ankle and the referee correctly pointed to the spot.  Iraola made no mistake, sending Pinto the wrong way and burying the ball nicely in the right of the net.

The next 10 minutes saw more shaky back-line play from Barcelona—obviously out of sync with Busquets and Mascherano forming part of a strange 3-4-3 formation that left Pique as the only true central defender.  Pique mishandled a pass and was forced to foul Torquero—receiving a yellow card that will keep him out of next week’s league match.  Pinto and Abidal executed some risky passes across the Barça box, and attempts to clear with “tiki taka” passing were repeatedly overrun by an aggressive Bilbao front line.

In the 58th minute Messi appeared with a magical left-to-right run, blowing by and around four defenders with nifty touches before being tackled in the box.  Camp Nou went wild, but no penalty was given.  Messi’s drive deserved every one of the numerous replays it received, and probably a penalty kick as well, but the match went on.

Barça seemed galvanized by Messi’s play, and subsequent passes looked crisp and the team movement more purposeful.  Maxwell’s substitution for Mascherano made for a more cohesive side, with Abidal and Pique working well together to bring the ball out of the back.

Finally, in the 78th minute, a trademark Barca goal brought down the house.  Xavi, head up and eyes open, found Alves in his customary wide right position.  Taking one touch to settle, Alves sent a hard grounder straight at a cutting Messi who deftly touched past a defender and over the keeper’s shoulder into the net.  Replays couldn’t capture the class of this little touch - directing a hard-hit bouncer into a narrow opening—this was one of Messi’s best right-footed goals.

Pep proceeded to make the same change that drew heavy criticism against Arsenal—pulling Villa in favor of physical midfielder Keita—perhaps looking to prove the value of this shut-down strategy and show his continued confidence in Keita.  This time the change didn't backfire.

The remaining minutes nearly yielded more Barcelona goals, with Xavi continuing to find open men in space like a quarterback slinging a football downfield.  Pique finally got the best of Torquero, leaving him on the turf with a nifty cutback, and Messi, making no effort to conserve energy, delighted the crowd with all-out sprints and a Ronaldinho-esque blow-by down the left baseline.

When the whistle blew, one could almost feel the sense of relief and satisfaction in Barcelona, as the team had stuck to its style and come through with a game-winning goal, a crucial three points and some answers to questions about a late-season decline.