Sep 21, 2013 9:43:00 PM
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
By Ben Hayward
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.
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