Ernesto Valverde will be wondering where he got it wrong this time after his side suffered another shocking 3-1 defeat by Levante on Saturday. We're talking about a team that registered an emphatic 5-1 victory over Real Valladolid in midweek. It's now obvious that this season's title defence will be a bit more interesting than we thought, as Granada continues to show their greenlight at the top of the table. With Barcelona and Real Madrid currently at 22 points, one can't tell what the future holds for these two giants. However, from all indications, Madrid doesn't look consistent enough to topple the Catalan giants after failing to secure a win against Real Betis on Saturday. The game finished 0-0 and a win would have seen Zidane's Los Blancos reclaim the lead. Barcelona got ambushed by Levante in a game that ended 3-1 in favour of the home side. I don't think many bettors saw this blow coming, and it says so much about the possibility of Barcelona going far in both the league and Europe. All through the game against Levante, Lionel Messi appears to be the only Barcelona player who maintained his form and tried to shoulder everything for the team.
It's really disturbing how Valverde is unable to utilize the players at his disposal. His over reliance on the Argentine is becoming unbecoming even in his third season of coaching the Catalan club. Against Valladolid, the Barcelona captain had netted two goals and provided two assist to help the defending champions coast home with a 5-1 win. Perhaps, the team were depending on him again this time and despite putting them on the lead with a penalty goal, Barcelona squad performed far from expectations, as second half goals from Jose Campana, Borja Mayoral and Nemanja Radoja condemned Barcelona to their fourth defeat of the season. It's really a bad day for bettors and the bookies will be wishing every weekend will be like this. Grizemann has continues to struggle at the Camp Nou since his transfer from Athletico Madrid. The fans are beginning to run out of patience for the Frenchman, as his inability to stand up to the occasion when duty calls could force Valverde to dump him on the bench for Dembele, who appears more unpredictable on the pitch and adds more force to Barcelona's front line anytime he is called upon.
It's 11 games down already for Barcelona this season and their Grizemann has only been able to net 4 goals with 3 assists. Well, many people expected more from him and now we can't ascertain how long it's gonna take before we start seeing some changes in subsequent lineups. Gerrard Pique was also a subject of criticism after the game, as he appeared to be far from his best. While many may attach his slow start in recent times to age, others feel that the center back is getting himself involved in too many extracurricular activities, especially his involvement in the Davis Cup. Lionel Messi did his best but the team and even the decisions of the coach continues to disappoint him. Against Levante, he managed to dragged Barcelona into the lead through the penalty and even scored another which was cancelled by VAR, the Argentine captain may lose his cool if his teammates continues in this fashion.
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