Elche – Barcelona: A Clash Of Direct Attacks (1-3)

In a battle of direct attacks, Barcelona came out victorious to maintain La Liga's lead. Baiting, off-ball movements, and diagonal combinations paved the road for the Catalans to create an unprecedented sum of expected goals. Elche overloads and dynamic football laid the groundwork to break down Barcelona's high press and high line.

Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri.

The game isn't over until it's over. After spending the majority of the time outside the top eight in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona capitalized on other teams dropping points to jump to fifth place after edging past Copenhagen. Consequently, Hansi Flick's team hit two birds with one stone. The Catalans avoided going through the playoff stages and a congested schedule of games. Under the German manager, Barcelona seldom don't find a way through to score. Their offensive firepower is second to none.

However, defense remains a question mark for the Catalans. Barcelona reached an unwanted milestone of eleven consecutive Champions League matches without a clean sheet. Opponents were able to find the back of the net fourteen times this term in an average of 1.75 goals per game. In La Liga, the Catalans' defensive vulnerability is punctuated by 22 goals conceded in 21 games played. In fact, according to Opta, Barcelona concedes the fewest shots per game (9.52) in the league; however, the expected goals per shot faced (0.13) is the second highest after Sevilla (0.15).

Whilst the club enjoyed an outstanding start to the season following their promotion, Elche's form began to falter in the second half of the season . . .