Barcelona's Poor Start Continues With Dismal Defeat At Granada
22nd September 2019
Messi was still not deemed fit enough to start at Los Carmenes while Fati, the 16-year-old who has lit up La Liga in recent weeks, also began the game on the bench
- Barcelona threw on their stars of the present and the future on Saturday but neither Lionel Messi nor Ansu Fati could save them from a dismal 2-0 defeat away at Granada
- But while both came on at half-time with Barca trailing to Ramon Azeez's opener, it was Granada that scored again, Alvaro Vadillo converting a penalty after Arturo Vidal was found guilty of a handball
- Barcelona have now won only two of their opening five league games and none away from Camp Nou, this their second loss already, just one fewer than the three they suffered during the entirety of last season
MADRID, Spain- Barcelona
threw on their stars of the present and the future on Saturday but neither
Lionel Messi nor Ansu Fati could save them from a dismal 2-0 defeat away at
Granada.
Messi was still not deemed fit enough to start at Los
Carmenes while Fati, the 16-year-old who has lit up La Liga in recent weeks,
also began the game on the bench.
But while both came on at half-time with Barca trailing to
Ramon Azeez's opener, it was Granada that scored again, Alvaro Vadillo
converting a penalty after Arturo Vidal was found guilty of a handball.
Barcelona have now won only two of their opening five league
games and none away from Camp Nou, this their second loss already, just one
fewer than the three they suffered during the entirety of last season.
With seven points on the board, this is their worst start to
a season since 1994.
"Obviously I am worried," said coach Ernesto
Valverde. "Because we are not getting good results and when that happens
in two or three games, it means we are not playing well."
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Instead, Granada go top of the table after capitalising on
Atletico Madrid's goalless draw at home to Celta Vigo a few hours before.
They will stay there until Sunday, when Sevilla, Real Madrid
or Athletic Bilbao could overtake them.
Barcelona are sixth, grasping onto the consolation of
Messi's second substitute appearance in five days that now suggests he has
finally recovered from the niggling calf injury sustained at the start of
August.
Their problems though are unlikely to be solved simply by
their captain's return.
Junior Firpo's error two minutes into his first start for
the club gifted Granada their opening goal and set the tone for a chaotic night
in defence.
And up front, Antoine Griezmann was quiet again, with little
in any of the combinations to suggest Ernesto Valverde has yet worked out who
will form his best attacking trio and in what positions.
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"In the end, the coach is responsible and I feel
responsible," Valverde said. "I always think you can win or lose but
at least you have to deserve to win when you lose, and today it hasn't been
like that."
Firpo's mistake came early, as he shaped to play a long ball
over the top back to his goalkeeper. Instead, the lively Roberto Soldado stole
possession and slipped in Antonio Puertas.
With Firpo on the floor, Gerard Pique scrambled across but
Puertas' shot only looped up off the defender to the back post where Azeez
headed in.
Granada seemed hungrier than Barca and their dominance
persuaded Valverde to make two changes at half-time, Messi and Fati replacing
Carles Perez and Firpo.
Messi won a free-kick 30 yards out but hit it straight at
the wall while Marc-Andre ter Stegen fumbled a cross and had to react quickly
to claw it back off his own line.