Barcelona’s performance against Huesca showed a lack of defensive solidarity

Barcelona had an excellent game against newly promoted Huesca at the Camp Nou on Sunday.

The game, which started off as a thriller after the visitors scored an early goal and were trailing by a single goal by half-time with a 3-2 scoreline, ended with Barcelona taking complete control in the second half.

The match ended with a mammoth 8-2 scoreline and a lot of that can be attributed to Lionel Messi putting on an absolute show and several other key players performing to the best of their abilities.

However, while the system and performances are being lauded, and rightly so, a big concern has to be the fact that Barcelona conceded two incredibly silly goals.

The lack of concentration was obvious and Samuel Umtiti’s substitution was a smart move by Valverde.

Barcelona’s defense is a little thin at the moment despite all the attacking riches in the squad.

There is no back-up left-back, a void that many hope teenager Miranda will fill adequately, while the lack of a right-footed centre-half will probably come to bite our bottoms during January/February, when teams are struggling with form and injuries.

Barcelona played a good game but that first half exposed a lot of frailties which Valverde needs to iron out in the coming games.