Tougher times ahead for Barca in the La Liga after five points from three matches.


Match Report: Sunday 16/09/2007 21:00 (GMT +1), La Liga, Match Day 3
OSASUNA - FC BARCELONA 0-0


Stadium: Reyno de Navarra, Pamplona

Capacity : 19,800
Referee: Miguel Angel Perez Lasa


Cautions

Yellow Cards :
Osasuna - Josetxo ( 28' ), Martinez ( 40' ), Punal ( 66' )

FC Barcelona - Deco ( 31' ), Iniesta ( 39' )


Possession:
FC Barcelona 65%

Osasuna 35%


Line-Up:


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes, Abidal, Milito, Thuram, Zambrotta ( Oleguer, 65' ), Toure Yaya, Deco, Iniesta, Giovani ( Bojan, 79' ), Ronaldinho ( Xavi, 66' ), Henry
Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Osasuna (4-4-3): Ricardo, Corrales, Flano, Garcia, Martinez, Josetxo, Font, Juanfran ( Delporte, 81' ), Punal, Pandiani ( Sola, 90' ), Portillo ( Plasil, 72' )

Manager: Jose Angel Ziganda


Match Report:
Another goalless draw marked the La Liga match day three in Pamplona. Barcelona had to wait until the fourteenth minute for their first attempt on goal, when Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure struck a long-range effort well off target. Henry also shot wide in Barcelona's next attack following good interplay between Ronaldinho and Andres Iniesta. Giovani then sent a dangerous centre into the box on 19 minutes, but Henry arrived just too late once again.


Barcelona were in control of possession for much of the game, but were struggling to click in attack and created few clear-cut chances. In the thirty-fifth minute, Giovani raced into the right-hand side of the penalty area and latched onto Iniesta's clever through-ball, but Ricardo saved well with his body. Osasuna had a close attempt afterwards, when Javier Portillo dispossessed Lilian Thuram just outside the area and fired a low drive just wide of Victor Valdes' far post. Despite that lapse, Barcelona continued to dominate proceedings and Deco called Ricardo into action again with a poked effort following Iniesta's wonderful threaded pass.


Osasuna poured forward as soon as the second half started. Their fast-paced initial attack almost resulted in a goal but Valdes palmed Javi Garcia's crashing shot just over the bar. Five minutes later, Henry nudged a long pass and the ball almost inadvertently went past an already-committed Ricardo. Henry and Giovani then combined well in a promising Barcelona attack on 55 minutes, but the Mexican was well offside and the flag was quickly raised.


Oleguer came in for Zambrotta in the 65th minute. Also, Ronaldinho was substituted by Xavi in the 66th minute. With thirteen minutes remaining, Xavi tried his luck from distance, but saw his effort drift well wide. Two minutes later, Bojan Krkic replaced Giovani as Barcelona went in search of a late winner. Bojan immediately created a chance on 82 minutes, but failed to find a team-mate to connect with and the chance was not utilized. The young striker also appeared from thin air in the dying minutes annex a lose ball, but the final touch was not enough to maintain strong control of the ball, and the final chance for Barca to score was lost. The match ended soon afterwards with both Osasuna and FC Barcelona sharing points.


My Comments:

Barca have still not been convincing enough this season. A lot of work still hasn't been done and in reality, still needs to be done. The coming weeks and crucial matches against top teams will go a long way toward shaping the top three spots in the La Liga. Perhaps, a long-placed hope to close the gap at the top will be home matches against Sevilla and Real Madrid. These however will not be too much of a great hope to place expectations on, as a win cannot not be gauranteed, especially by current performances. The Champions League match against Olympique Lyon may be a worthy and positive distraction from the pressures of the La Liga and may act as the long-awaited re-launch pad for the Blaugrana to take off in their proper footing this season.