GettyImages / Josep Lago/AFP/GettyImagesXavi's dramatic late-game goal set Barcelona on its way to a hard-fought La Liga win over Granada at the Nou Camp.

Barcelona managed a late 2-0 win against Granada at the Camp Nou in Matchday 5 of La Liga. Xavi scored the first goal for the Blaugranas, our second was an own goal.

Tito Vilanova opted for a 4-3-3 formation and started with Valdes in goal; Alves, Song, Mascherano, Adriano in defense; Busquets, Thiago, Cesc in midfield; Villa, Messi, Alexis as forwards.

The match started with Barcelona in possession, but unable to speed the game up enough to actually create any remarkable chances. Granada, as most of our rivals seem to be doing this season, parked the bus and hoped for quick counterattacking transitions, defended aggressively and kept pressing to force our defensive players and keeper into playing long balls. Barcelona players, particularly Messi, were getting more and more frustrated due to our lack of passing speed.

Barcelona improved dramatically after the half-time break. We finally saw some valuable one-touch combinations, our team were asking more questions off the Granada defense much more often. Our players, lead by Commander Xavi Hernandez, continued probing, continuously pressing to find an opening. Our game became more precise and crisp but it was obvious that we needed something special to beat the extremely inspired Granada goalkeeper, Tono.

With just a few minutes to go, Xavi unlocked the win with a top-corner torpedo which allowed the Camp Nou fans to breathe again after a very complicated test. Our second goal came shortly after, but it was clear the game was over by then.

This incredibly difficult victory extends Barcelona’s lead at the top of La Liga, having won 5 out of 5 matches so far, scoring 14 goals in the process. This result also adds further pressure on Real Madrid, who will kick-off their match at Rayo tomorrow knowing that Barcelona are currently 11 points ahead only two weeks before the next Clasico.

Player Ratings

Victor Valdes – 7 – Saved our team with a remarkable individual action in the dying moments of the match. Good to see our goalkeeper making a positive impact once again.

Dani Alves – 6 – Good effort, always keen on assisting with crosses behind defenders, but not always accurate.

Adriano – 6 – Spirited performance. A couple of good early crosses. I loved to see him facing defenders confidently. Better at tracking back to defensive positions today.

Javier Mascherano – 6 – Still not performing to his former best but getting there. A solid performance, some great challenges to stop the quick Granada breaks.

Alex Song – 6 – A good display of physical strength and speed. His positioning could have been better at times. I hope he continues to get playing time so he can adapt to this position sooner rather than later.

Sergio Busquets – 7 – The only midfielder who tried to speed the game up during the first half. As effective as usual when defending. Without a doubt, one of our best players so far this season.

Cesc Fabregas – 6 – Tried to tick all the right boxes in terms of positioning but failed to add much needed speed to our pass and move game. He was very unlucky to not score tonight, which would have boosted his confidence after 24 matches without a Barcelona goal.

Thiago Alcantara – 5 – Eager to find those decisive through runs but, like Cesc, unable to provide the team with the required passing speed from midfield.

David Villa – 5 – Definitely not a great night. Great effort but poor overall performance. His most memorable moment was clashing with Messi. Looking forward to an improvement in his next match.

Alexis Sanchez – 6 – Not always able to beat his markers from the wings. Ended up sharing the striker position with Messi, doing a fairly good job at creating spaces. I sometimes feel he should be much more selfish in front of goal, needs to re-find his killer instinct.

Lionel Messi – 7 – Usual sparks of genius, always looked dangerous when in control, hit the post and created our second goal with his perseverance. Got frustrated during the first half as passes were not getting to him quick enough. It is obvious regaining glory with Barcelona means the world to him, but I didn't enjoy seeing that kind of verbal outburst towards another teammate.

Substitutes:

Xavi – 8 – Man Of The Match - Substituted Thiago after 53 minutes and changed the game dramatically thanks to his determination and innate ability to read every phase of the game. His tremendous goal gave Barcelona 3 points which, until that point, were definitely not in our hands.

Pedro – 6 – Substituted Villa after 53 minutes. Eager to participate and face opponents.

Cristian Tello – 6 – Substituted Adriano after 72 minutes. His pace made a difference and offered a valuable option from the wing.

Coach:

Tito Vilanova – 7 – His starting eleven was weakened by numerous injuries and his decision to not include Xavi but, to be honest, I felt it should have been a good enough to lineup to win this game. Finished the match with Messi, Alexis, Pedro, Tello upfront and only defending with Song and Mascherano. A risky decision which, once again, gave us a positive result in the end.

Have your say

What did you think of Barcelona’s performance vs. Granada?

Who was your Man of the Match? What are your player ratings?

I welcome and appreciate all respectful feedback.

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