Barcelona's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League hang by a Viktoria Plzen-shaped thread after this pulsating and dramatic draw against Group C rivals Inter Milan at the Camp Nou. A towering stoppage-time Lewandowski header saved a point for the hosts but, saving some Plzen heroics in Milan later this month, Barcelona look destined for the Europa League.
The first goal was a clear mistake by the defensive line. Football is a game of mistakes and it's about minimising them. Today we have made very serious mistakes that have cost us. They soon formed their usual back three during build-up, however, with Marcos Alonso staying more reserved at left-back and Sergi Roberto pushing forward and inside from right-back below. Gavi held his role as the left-sided eight, as Barcelona consistently placed three players between the lines.
This pattern was key to helping the hosts penetrate deep into the final third so often. Alonso moved much higher for spells in the second half, especially after Inter scored their equaliser.
Xavi made a host of changes in the second half, as Inter converted into a defensive shape soon after going up. Simone Inzaghi set Inter Milan up in a shape in possession, with the width provided by the wing-backs: Denzel Dumfries on the right and Federico Dimarco on the left. Hakan Calhanoglu dropped to become a single pivot, although he was sometimes supported by Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Inter broke from their low block more effectively on this side, but Barella also combined well with Dumfries on the right during sustained spells of possession.
But with Dimarco dropping and Mkhitaryan still playing as a deeper second pivot, the visitors struggled to consistently access the final third on this side. With Dumfries still holding the width on the right, gaps appeared for Barella to run forward off the ball and exploit the space around the back of Dzeko below.
