Barcelona plays again against Rayo, which plays its fifth match without a loss against the culés. Xavi’s men played a terrible first half.
An own goal from Florian Lejeune in the latter part of the match serves to divide a point and for Barcelona to avoid defeat after Unai López’s initial goal in the first period. The lack of fluidity in the flow of the game and the low productivity to generate goal situations persist with the Barça team, pinpointing any problem that prevents them from establishing a winning dynamic. The franjirrojos, from more to less as the minutes pass, show the wear and tear incurred during the first act.
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Xavi Hernández cannot turn off the alarm in a Barcelona that condemns him for the same mistakes in every match. The lack of punch, the problems in moving the ball and the impatience to control difficult moments again hampered the Barça team.
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Competing away from Montjuic will be a pending issue for the Blaugranas, with them winning three of their last four games. Since the end of the international break in September, Barça have only beaten Real Sociedad away from home.
The one entered for the draw is Rayo Vallecano, who have earned draws in seven of the last nine league matches. It is, along with Getafe, the LaLiga team that has achieved the most draws this campaign.
The Blaugranas have added 15 points this season with goals in the final quarter of the match, the most this season among Europe’s five major leagues.
The draw in Vallecas puts the culés in a delicate situation, further and further away from the leadership of LaLiga. They are three points ahead of Atlético de Madrid, with two games less at the end of the match on Avenida de la Albufera, while at the same time they are one point behind Real Madrid and three ahead of Girona, with one match remaining.
Video overview of Rayo Vallecano vs. FC Barcelona from La Liga EA Sports 2023-2024: goals, best plays and controversies
82′GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL BY LEJEUNE ON OUR OWN DOOR!!!! Rayo Vallecano 1-1 BARCELONA. Barça forces a draw!! Balde attacks Ratiu’s back, putting the cross into the area before racing towards the back line. His delivery looked like Lewandowski, who tried to connect the shot with a ball that Lejeune pushed into the back of his goal.
Rayo Vallecano’s double spin has halted every attempt by the Blaugranas to advance, meaning they have won 10 of the 17 matches in which they have played between them. The wings have also contributed to strengthening the defensive system, with Jorge de Frutos, who no longer has to be a dagger on the wing, expanding the duties of containing Lamine Yamal with five recoveries.
The two lines set up by Francisco Rodríguez, bringing down Trejo and Camello, who attempt to intensify the first pressure by biting Frenkie de Jong and Oriol Romeu, have completely suffocated the culés and are unable to pass the ball towards Lamine Yamal to move. or Ferran Torres to overwhelm their pair. In this sense, both Balliu and Espino have the support of a teammate to always generate superiority that makes it difficult to make a difference in the final third with a dribble or a change of pace.
Frenkie de Jong’s return to the field of play after injury, which coincided with Pedri gaining speed, has not solved the repetitive problems that have plagued the Barça team for some time. The Dutchman monopolized all the ball from the start, allowing the Canary Islander to break inside and find the gaps between the defense and midfield.
The 60% possession they had in the first half did not help Barcelona translate their dominance on the ball in clear goal situations (xG of 0.16). Xavi Hernández continues to struggle seriously to make his team harmonious, with Oriol Romeu and Frenkie de Jong showing a certain tendency to lose by not finding clear passing routes. And Barça were very static in defence, with Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres embedded in the flanks trying to give width to the game and Lewandowski well neutralized in each set with Abdul Mumin.
Rest on Avenida de la Albufera!! Rayo Vallecano causes Barcelona problems with a goal from Unai López (1-0). Without flexibility in high positions and without rhythm to overcome the pressure of its rival, the Blaugrana team extends its poor state of form and play to control the matches. A conservative plan by the Rayista team, which closed the lines and reduced the playing field even further, was enough to nullify the culés.
39′GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL BY UNAI LÓPEZ!!!!!!!!! RAYO VALLECANO 1-0 Barcelona. Unai López puts Vallecas on their feet!! Rayista’s lateral error gives Óscar Trejo the opportunity to shoot after a poor ball flight, with Íñigo Martínez cutting the ball by diving low to the ground. The ball is left open for Unai López’s subsequent goal from a far position, beating Iñaki Peña, who takes a long time to get back up after stretching for the previous kick.
XI OF RAY VALLECANO
XI OF FC BARCELONA
Minute by minute of Rayo Vallecano vs. FC Barcelona from La Liga EA Sports 2023-2024
Source: Goal