Getafe's visit to Barcelona exposes the team's weaknesses

The visit to Getafe by Barcelona once again highlighted the deficiencies that Ernesto Valverde's team is showing at the beginning of this season. The difference was that, on this occasion, a sigh of relief crossed their faces with the final whistle.

Without Jordi Alba on the left side, Valverde once again bet on Junior Firpo. The Dominican had a tough time from the start. He couldn't handle his main marker, Jason, nor the Uruguayan Damián Suárez, who outperformed him in all attacking incursions he tried to make. In fact, six of his team's seven fouls in the first half were his.

The defensive fragility shown by Barcelona on their left side was a weapon that Getafe tried to take advantage of. They tried to play most of their game in that area, while Valverde observed with his arms crossed in his technical area, witnessing how his team bled in the first half.

Luck and Ter Stegen's accuracy prevented Barcelona from conceding in the first half. Luck came into play because there were very clear attacking plays that ended with a poor final pass from Getafe's players, and Ter Stegen's accuracy as the German goalkeeper made a crucial save against Ángel at the 21st minute, preventing the locals from scoring.

A goal of faith by Luis Suárez just before halftime, after a play that surprised the Getafe defense, and another by Junior Firpo right after returning from the dressing room, taking advantage of a loose ball left by David Soria, were enough for Barcelona to breathe and secure a soothing victory.

The fifth attempt was the charm for Barcelona this season. The other four away games ended in defeats against Athletic and Granada, and draws against Osasuna and Borussia Dortmund.

In some cases, the image given hurt more than the actual defeat, solidified by a series of errors, predictable gameplay, and an intensity inferior to that of their rivals.

Without Messi and Jordi Alba, and also without their young revelation, Ansu Fati, Barcelona gave the impression of being an ordinary team in Getafe for many minutes. One of the players expected to step up in the Coliseum was Ousmane Dembélé, but the Frenchman was dropped from the squad at the last minute due to muscle discomfort.

His replacement was Carles Pérez, who started the match well, had a clear opportunity to score that he created himself, and was involved in the second goal with a shot that David Soria failed to clear properly, leaving it dead in the area for Junior to take advantage of.

The verticality of Carles Pérez in attack contrasted with the shadows cast by Antoine Griezmann, who had little involvement and his performance, bordering on acceptable, was far from the disruptive impact he had at Atlético.

With the final whistle, Barcelona breathed a sigh of relief. Three soothing points that give them respite until the next match, the Champions League game against Inter. Once again, three points are at stake and, above all, the obligation to improve their image.