January 24, (THEWILL) – On Sunday night, Barcelona secured a 1-0 win away at Alaves thanks to a late Frenkie de Jong winner, bringing them to within one point of fourth place.
Barcelona found it tough to find any attacking spark on a chilly night in the Basque area. Despite dominating possession, the Catalan giants were constrained to tame, and far too slow, passes in front of a team that was 19th in La Liga at the time of the encounter.
Alaves undoubtedly played to suffocate a Barcelona team that has struggled to create chances all season, closing the spaces between their 4-5-1 lines and pressing up the pitch whenever possible to avoid a backs-to-the-wall low block.
On the 101st anniversary of the club’s founding, the hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half at both ends. Captain Victor Laguardia cannoned a clearing off teammate Florian Lejeune’s chest and narrowly missed their own post.
Pere Pons of Alaves squandered one of the few chances either side had on the brink of half-time, slamming a shot into the grateful arms of Marc-Andre ter Stegen after one of numerous sloppy passes from Jordi Alba, the latest culprit in a team-wide profligacy.
As Barcelona threatened to up the tempo after the break, Alaves had space to exploit. However, their quick transitions often fizzled out before they could get a shot off, proving why they are La Liga’s lowest scorers.
As the game entered its last five minutes, Barcelona finally showed signs of coordination when Alba found Ferran Torres behind the Alaves defence. The January signing cushioned a pass across the box for Frenkie de Jong to put the visitors one point behind Atletico Madrid.
As a result of the victory, Barcelona has moved up to fifth place, while Alaves is in a perilous position in 19th.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
