Barcelona 1-2 Valencia, 2016 La Liga: Match Review

Barcelona came into this game in disastrous circumstances. A Champions League elimination to Atlético Madrid and failing to register a league win since the 12th of March meant this tie against Valencia was the definition of a must win.

The team came out with that attitude. There was no settling in period as they were on top of the visitors from the first minute. A great first time ball from Sergi Roberto found Andrés Iniesta who had Jordi Alba on the overlap. The full back's cross made it to Neymar but characteristically of a man who has not found the net as often as he is used to, Neymar took a nervous touch which allowed the defence to snuff out the chance.

Two minutes later and it was Lionel Messi's turn. The Argentine had started much wider, hugging the touch line but he cut in to receive Luis Suárez's cross. The ball was bouncing but Messi struck it well and it required a good save from Diego Alves.

It was beginning to become that kind of night and there wasn't even 15 minutes on the clock yet. Suárez was inches away from a Alba cross and Neymar broke the offside trap only to dink the ball into the palm of Alves.

The next opportunity arose from a corner as Javier Mascherano, a man who has never scored for Barça, flicked a header goal-wards. Being no more than a yard away he could only flick the header up and over the bar.

Three minutes later and there was more Alves' heroics. A counterattack allowed Neymar to pick out Messi but again the Valencia keeper was there to stop him.

One of the most intriguing aspects when the starting XIs were announced was the omission of Dani Alves. After appearing on Instagram in his girlfriend's wig a short time in the aftermath of the Atlético game, Alves was forced to start from the bench as a punishment. His replacement, Sergi Roberto, was doing well in attack but looking vulnerable in defence.

Just after the 25 minute mark, Valencia broke at Barça. Dani Parejo had the ball on the edge of the area before finding André Gomes on the wing. The Portuguese slipped in Guilherme Siqueira on the inside as the Brazilian's run was not picked up by Roberto. Ivan Rakitić had to drop deep in order to prevent the cross but Rakitić's connection was not a strong one and it ricocheted towards the Barça net. Claudio Bravo could only palm it in as the visitors took a 1-0 lead and a wave of uncertainty fell upon the Camp Nou crowd.

Earlier in the day, Atlético had drawn level Barça which was a fact not lost on the crowd as the noise dropped. The team tried to react with Gerard Piqué emotionally yelling at his teammates but it appeared the result would be 0-1 at half time. The clock was deep into stoppage time when Valencia broke away again. Parejo was having a great game and was involved once more. The Barça right side was the action zone as Santiago Mina made a run into the Barça box. He received the ball and calmly slotted it into the far corner past a helpless Bravo. It was 2-0 and a disaster for Barça.

The Barcelona players were sent out early for the second half. Forced to endure three or four minutes on the pitch before the Valencia players emerged. The game restarted in the same vein as the first half. Barcelona were making chances but lacking quality in the final third.

There was also the case of Dani Alves. It was clear Roberto was struggling in the right full back position but his substitution would've meant Enrique had no central midfield options if one of Iniesta or Rakitić went down injured.

The clock was ticking away and Barça were having half chance after half chance to no effect. But after enduring his longest goal drought since 2008, Messi finally opened the scoring for Barça. A quick one-two with Jordi Alba allowed Messi space in the middle of the box to slide the ball into the net. Despite not being in the happiest of circumstances, it was Messi's 450th Barça goal and 500th overall.

The team continued looking for chances and continued to be thwarted by Alves. A particular highlight coming from a Rakitić shot on the penalty spot that required fingertips to stop.

The sign of a great coach is making the right decision at the right time. But Enrique was electing to stick with the starting eleven. The game was calling out for a change if solely for the reason to get fresh legs on. But when you have four defenders, a keeper and a winger, it leaves you with little option.

The match entered the final ten minutes with the solid wall of Valencia refusing to crack. They looked brighter, more energised and Pako Ayestarán used his substations to full effect. In their 53rd game, the Barcelona players were simply exhausted. The final chance fell to Gerard Piqué. A great chest down allowed him the perfect chance to equaliser but he dragged his shot wide of the post.

The final whistle blew and Barça now lead La Liga only on the head-to-head record.