Barcelona lose possession battle for first time in 317 games

The Catalans thrashed Rayo Vallecano 4-0 on Saturday evening, but saw less of the ball than their opponent - something which has not happened since May 7, 2008 against Real Madrid.Barcelona failed to get the better of their opponents in terms of possession on Saturday - for the first time in 317 competitive games
.

The Catalans cruised to a 4-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano (which included a hat-trick from Pedro, a Cesc Fabregas strike and a second successive penalty save in a week from goalkeeper Victor Valdes), but Gerardo Martino's side were edged out in the possession stats by 51 per cent to 49% at Vallecas.

Long famed for their passing and possession philosophy, Barca saw more of the ball than their rivals in all of the 247 games coached by Pep Guardiola and in each of the 60 official matches bossed by Tito Vilanova. In total, the Blaugrana had dominated possession for each of their last 316 competitive matches.

But just eight games into the 'Tata' tenure, Barca - with Alex Song in midfield instead of Sergio Busquets - saw slightly less of the ball than the home side on Saturday.

The last time that happened was on May 7, 2008 under Frank Rijkaard, when the Catalans lost 4-1 in a Clasico clash at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga.

Despite losing the possession, Barca stay top of La Liga with 15 points from their five matches.

Neymar Still outstanding in providing assists

Neymar is Barcelona's number 1 target for the opposition. Although Leo Messi also comes under fire during games, the Brazilian is on the receiving end of three times as many fouls as his teammate.
The former Santos player has been hit by a total of 23 fouls, while Messi has fallen prey to 7. The Argentine's tally equals that of Iniesta and Pedro, both of whom have played significantly fewer minutes.
Since the start of the season, Barcelona's inner circle have been concerned about the rough treatment of its new star signing during matches, going as far as to request protection from the referees.


Tata Martino himself has assured that he regularly checks in with Neymar to make sure he does not retaliate when on the receiving end of a kick, trip or knock. His instructions are clear: get up, ball on the ground and keep playing. So far, he has managed to do just that.

The closest to the 'Mohicano' say that he was fouled just as frequently in Brazil and that his unique style of play means that the only way they can stop him is with an illegal move.

What's up with Iniesta?

A substitute in two out of the five league games.Andrés Iniesta is having a very odd start to the season. As yet, he's not really got up to cruising speed. Given the importance he has in the team, considered to be Barça's nº1 player after Messi, the Spaniard seems somewhat sluggish.

Of the five games that have been played to date, he has been a substitute in two - first against Levante and then against Rayo Vallecano. In the three matches where he has started, he only played the full 90 minutes in the Mestalla stadium. In the SuperCup, he also played a full game in the Vicente Calderón, but only 17 minutes in the second leg. He also played the full 90 against Ajax.

A year ago Iniesta had the world at his feet, and the trophy for the best European player in his cabinet. Since then, apart from the numbers, it is also clear that the player's importance in the team itself has also lessened. In these first few games of the season, the team is slowly getting to grips with the new-look Barça that Martino is after. Iniesta, however, has not as yet found himself a convincing role to play in it.

Meanwhile, the player is in the middle of having his contract renewed. Barcelona has emitted several optimistic messages saying that an agreement will soon be reached. Iniesta is a key figure at Barça, and the Catalan club is looking to award him with the second highest-paid contract, after (of course) Messi.

Cesc: “We're very pleased, we won a very difficult match”

The Catalan player scored the team's fourth and final goal against Rayo Vallecano in Barça's fifth win in as many games in La Liga.Cesc, pleased with the victory, highlighted the variants in play that Tata Martino brings to the team.Cesc is pleased with Barça’s convincing victory over Rayo Vallecano: “We’re really happy, these matches are really tough. They are afraid of nothing, they pressure you high up the pitch and they play well.” The midfielder went on to say that his team played better in the second half: “In the second half they were more tired and we managed to take advantage of that, but it’s always difficult for us to win here; they are difficult to beat.”


New options when it comes to play style

The Catalan midfielder also talked about the changes introduced by Tata Martino to Barça’s play. “Football is like this, it offers you variants and if you go up against a tough rival one day, on a small field and they press you ... that’s what we’re working on with the manager,” said Cesc.

Rest for everyone

The youth academy graduate also touched on Martino’s policy to rest players: “It looks like he’s doing it with everyone, even the important players. We don’t like it, those of us who want to play every game, but it’s an intelligent approach and we’ll thank him at the end of the season.”

Martín Montoya and Víctor Valdés also talked to the press after the match. Here are their statements:

Martín Monoya:

- “We knew that it was going to be a difficult game, Rayo are a team that fight, they maintain their pressure on you for the duration of the match. We were up to the task, we were at our level, we won and that’s the most important thing and now we have to continue working. This result gives us a bit of tranquility.”

- “We saw that the pitch was in poor condition, and we talked about the best way to address the issue. It was necessary to play long balls to avoid their pressure.”

- “Everything is the same, but it is true that we don’t need 20 passes to create a chance, sometimes we can do it with four or five touches. We’re not changing the system, we’re adapting it.”

- “It’s a pleasure to be in the starting team. I’m very pleased and I’ll try to take advantage of the minutes I’m given. I have to continue working.”

Víctor Valdés:

- “I talked it over with the manager, ‘Dela’ (De La Fuente), and we came to the conclusion that Roberto (Trashorras) would shoot down the middle (in the event of a penalty). He doesn’t usually go for the corners and perhaps he was surprised that I held my position in the middle of goal. It worked out well.”


- “I’m very satisfied with how things are going, the most important thing is that we’re winning matches both in the league and the Champions League.”

- “I believe we’re talking too much about the possession issue. We shouldn’t focus on it too much. In the end, the most important thing is that we win. We’re trying to maintain our own style of play and we have a manager who’s bringing in new ideas. The most important thing is that we continue to win.”