A primary La Liga title since 2019 is getting nearer for Barcelona after Xavi’s males edged previous Atletico Madrid 1-0 in an ill-tempered affair at Camp Nou on Sunday to remain 11 factors away from Real Madrid in second with eight video games to go.
Los Blancos have been topped Spanish champions in two of the final three seasons with Diego Simeone’s facet being the exception again in 2021 however the Catalan giants are nearer than ever to their twenty seventh La Liga title having crushed each Real and Atleti of their final 5 league outings.
Ferran Torres swept residence the successful objective simply earlier than halftime whereas Robert Lewandowski missed a golden late alternative for a second when he shot vast with Raphinha open, and Antoine Griezmann was denied a gap strike within 60 seconds by Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s crossbar.
Although Barca suffered back-to-back goalless attracts towards Girona and Getafe earlier this month, beating Atleti was a crucial outcome that ought to have put any potential Madrid-based fightback to mattress on condition that it’s pretty plain crusing for the Blaugrana from right here.
A staggering seven of eight Atleti bookings got here after the eightieth minute as tempers flared in direction of the tip and Sergio Reguilon was arguably lucky to not have been despatched off for his late foul on Raphinha in a present of frustration which steered that Atleti knew that this was their likelihood.
Real Betis, Real Sociedad and presumably Osasuna may make life arduous for Barca however all three video games are at residence and it’s tough to think about three residence losses when Xavi’s males are but to style defeat on their residence turf all season in La Liga.
Instead, Real and Atleti now want the Catalans to drop factors through inefficient ending or Ter Stegen being unable to get in entrance of all the pieces thrown his manner as was the case right here with the German shot-stopper equaling Claudio Bravo’s all-time membership document of 23 La Liga clear sheets in a season.
Games away at Rayo Vallecano, Espanyol within the Catalan derby, Real Valladolid and Celta Vigo may throw up one or two difficult obstacles for Barca on the highway however it’s unlikely to be sufficient to deliver Real and notably Atleti again into it now.
This recreation was by no means actually about Simeone’s troops reeling Barca in for the title — it was extra about preserving the strain on Real who stay in UEFA Champions League rivalry throughout a season the place their La Liga type has underwhelmed and this makes that more durable to do with a five-point hole.
Consistency is now key for Xavi and his group for these remaining eight video games and we’re speaking a few Barca facet that has solely misplaced twice all marketing campaign needing to immediately lose all type and go into freefall — that’s unlikely to occur so the countdown can now start.
Assuming that the present hole stays kind of the identical, Barca can probably look to safe the title towards native rivals Espanyol or presumably Real Sociedad with Real Valladolid one other doable date to see Xavi celebrating his first La Liga title as boss since his final as a participant again in 2015.
