Three Points: Barcelona vs. Celta Vigo

Posted Sunday, November 02, 2014 by ESPN

Three Points: Barcelona vs. Celta Vigo
Joaquin Larrivey's seventh goal of the season earned Celta their first win at Barcelona since 1941.

BARCELONA -- A trio of observations on Celta Vigo's 1-0 win vs. Barcelona in La Liga.

1. Luis Enrique in trouble

A crowd of 71,468, not to mention a press box more full than usual, arrived expecting to see Lionel Messi finally break Telmo Zarra's 60-year-old record and become La Liga's highest ever goalscorer, or to see Luis Suarez score on his home debut for the blaugrana.

Instead, they witnessed a stunning away performance by Celta Vigo and a result which seriously puts into question Luis Enrique's Barca "project".

The Asturian coach had admitted in his pre-game news conference that Celta's visit was awkwardly timed, given he still retains such affection for the club which he guided to ninth place in the table last season.

But he also said it was an opportunity to bounce back from last weekend's painful 3-1 Clasico defeat at Real Madrid and this was a better Barca performance -- they hit the woodwork fully four times and Celta keeper Sergio was in inspired form -- but the home side lacked cohesion in defence and attack throughout and the result was not unfair at all.

New Celta boss Eduardo "Toto" Berizzo has continued with Luis Enrique's pressing, high-tempo approach and his side's energy and positioning stopped Ivan Rakitic and [their former teammate] Rafinha from getting into a rhythm.

Even during a first half dominated by Barca in possession terms, the visitors also had chances themselves on the break, with Nolito, Joaquin Larrivey and Pablo Hernandez all spurning decent opportunities to really test home keeper Claudio Bravo.

With Gerard Pique not even in the match squad, Barca's pair of [converted] centrebacks, Jeremy Mathieu and Javier Mascherano, both played well but should not have needed to stand-out so much. And both were then nowhere to be seen as Nolito's clever back-heel sent Larrivey clear through to cooly finish and put the visitors into a shock lead on 55 minutes.

The hour mark brought a double-change from Luis Enrique, with Pedro Rodriguez and Xavi Hernandez introduced for Rafinha and Sergio Busquets. This meant Barca were now playing a three-man defence of Dani Alves, Mathieu and Jordi Alba.

The reshuffle pointed out the desperation of the situation, and also how unbalanced the squad still is, even after last summer's frantic spending ahead of the looming FIFA transfer ban.

Barca's attackers did have their moments but there was never a feeling that an equaliser was inevitable. Celta substitute Charles even had two excellent chances to make it 2-0 as an unbalanced home side was twice caught out at the back.

The hosts' last chance to get back into the game ended with Pedro passing the ball straight out of play, while Xavi had little impact on a team which looked lacking in structure and ideas.

2. No record for Messi

Messi had almost moved to 251 La Liga goals -- and level with the mark of Athletic Bilbao legend Zarra -- last week at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu but a superb Iker Casillas' save and an overall downbeat Barca performance put paid to that idea.

There was more frustration on Saturday through the opening 45 minutes, as Messi regularly had sniffs of goal only for something always to go wrong. He came closest when accelerating clear through the middle and sliding the ball past Sergio, only for covering full-back Jonny to slide in from nowhere and clear the ball to safety via the crossbar.

Three Points: Barcelona vs. Celta Vigo
After netting seven goals in his first eight league games of the season, Messi has failed to score in his last two.

That chance came just after an excellent Sergio save from a 15-yard snap-shot and just before the Argentine sent a free header over after being picked out even closer to goal by Luis Suarez's pinpoint cross.

The second half brought fewer chances in open play. One shot squeezed in after a driving run through the middle was saved by Sergio's outstretched leg and a free-kick from edge of the penalty area was curled way too high. Messi's next effort was much closer, clipping the angle of post and bar on its way over.

It was that kind of night for the Barcelona captain, with his changes in position -- if anything -- lessening his influence on the game. The wait to break the record moves to Almeria next Saturday afternoon.

3. Suarez also misfiring

Suarez's home debut was also being hyped in the local press pre-game, with the Barcelona-boosting Mundo Deportivo showing the 80 million euro summer signing on their cover on Saturday morning. There were also reminders that previous big-name attackers such as Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Romario, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho had all scored on their first Camp Nou appearances.

The former Liverpool player had a very busy first-half, starting as he did at the Bernabeu on the right side of a narrow front three, but regularly interchanging with Messi and Neymar as he roved around the pitch looking to make things happen. There was frustration for him before the break, as he regularly got into good positions but was let down either by his teammates' inability to finish or his own misplaced final ball.

One nice move on the break along with the Brazilian lead to a low 15-yard shot which was easily held by Sergio, but it was actually Neymar who came closest to scoring in the opening period with a 25-yard effort out of nothing that beat Sergio but bounced back off the crossbar. The Brazilian was again denied by the woodwork at opposite end early in second half, when he clipped Jordi Alba's cross goalwards but just inches too high.

After Luis Enrique's tactical shake-up at the interval, Suarez was moved to centre-forward and the chances kept coming, but the goal he wanted did not. Messi's passed slipped the Uruguayan down the right side of the box, but he attempted to cut inside and got crowded out.

The clearest opportunity came when Suarez himself robbed a defender and then hared into the box to get onto the end of a Pedro cross but his header, when unmarked six yards out, went straight at Sergio.

Soon afterwards, the Uruguayan again found time and space in the box and this time fired low and hard towards the corner but the inspired Celta keeper got a hand to the ball to push it around post.

Suarez's final effort was a volley from an impossible position, which sailed high and wide with a string of teammates waiting for a pass. His first night at the Camp Nou had not gone to plan, at all.