Overview
Real Madrid’s 4-0 home win over Getafe on Tuesday evening may have put the Nou Camp champagne on ice for an extra day, but in the end it mattered not. Barcelona’s 1-1 draw away to Levante last night was enough to clinch a third successive La Liga title for Pep Guardiola‘s side with two league games still remaining.
A point suited both teams and after Seydou Keita’s brilliant headed 28th minute opener was cancelled out by Felipe Caicedo late in the first half, there were no further goals, though Lionel Messi did go close a couple of times.
Barcelona’s Possession was impressive even by their own high standards; they had 84% of the play, content to stroke the ball about, while Levante never pushed too hard and stayed behind the ball, happy to play the game out.
Line Up News
Levante changed from the 4-2-3-1 formation that lost 3-2 at Athletico Bilbao in their previous game, moving to 4-5-1 with Miguel Pallardo adding a bit of steel in central midfield as the more attacking Ruben Suarez dropped to the bench.
Pep Guardiola made three changes; Eric Abidal started at left-back in place of Carlos Puyol, Keita replaced birthday boy Andres Iniesta and up front, Ibrahim Afellay stepped in for the rested Pedro on the right.
Player Positions
Levante’s two central defenders stayed deep and narrow, never straying forward. When they had the ball, the centre midfield trio were so close together they rarely tried anything creative; none of Torres, Pallardo or Iborra made a Key Pass all game. Valdo pushing on from the right was the main help to Caicedo up front.
Barca’s shape is indicative of their total control; the Average Position of every player is in the middle third of the pitch, the full-backs pushing high as the half-way line with the shape resembling more of a 2-5-3 in possession.
Shot Directions
Levante had 7 Shots, with 14% on either flank and 71% in the middle. Valdo had most attemps, with the right winger managing 3 efforts, coming inside and firing from more central areas. Caicedo had 2 Shots, while Iborra and Torres had 1 each from midfield.
As would be expected, most of Barcelona’s goal threat (63%) came through the middle, with Lionel Messi managing 3 of their 8 Shots. 25% arrived from the left, with Villa, Abidal and Keita managing 1 Shot apiece, while Afellay had 2 from the right, accounting for 13%.
Pass Types
Barcelona’s distribution statistics were astonishing last night; they made 1100 Passes to Levante’s 210. Guardiola’s side played 990 Short Passes with Levante managing just 160, and had an Average Passing Streak of 13 Passes to the hosts 3.
Top Passers were Xavi with 175, while Sergio Busquets made 180 Passes, only 30 less than the entire Levante team. With a 95% Pass Accuracy, it’s no wonder they had 84% Possession.
Star Player Comparison
With Levante having so little of the ball, it’s no surprise their goal scorer was the star man, as Felipe Caicedo made the most of what was a tiring shift as the lone front man in the 4-5-1 formation. Despite having only 27 Touches, he was one of only two home players to have a Shot on Target last night, scoring with 1 of his 2 Attempts, and was also his side’s chief creator, with 2 Key Passes. Caicedo made 2 Successful Tackles, 1 Successful Dribble and 1 Cross, with a 75% Pass Accuracy.
Playing in left midfield in Barca’s 4-3-3, Seydou Keita caught the eye with a fantastic header to send the holders on their way to recapturing the trophy. Keita’s distribution was impressive, too, making 99 Passes (including 6 Long Balls and 1 Key Pass) with a 97% Accuracy. He also played his part defensively; 3 Interceptions were the most in his side and Keita’s 3 Clearances were second only to Eric Abidal’s 4.
