Following their 1-1 draw with Eibar, FC Barcelona have had their worst start to a La Liga campaign in 17 long years.
The Catalans finished the match with 10 men as Philippe Coutinho needed to limp off injured with an apparent knee problem before the end in what would ultimately be a frustrating night for Ronald Koeman’s men.
Many may have been able to predict that the night would not go the Blaugrana’s way as the manager decided to leave Lionel Messi out of his team and forced him to watch on from the stands. Indeed, those that may have foreseen the trouble FC Barcelona were going to have on the night may have decided to make the most of the sign up offers from betting sites available to them.
The game against Eibar would have been seen as the perfect opportunity to make up for lost ground on the likes of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, however they had to settle for a point and remain in sixth place in the La Liga table.
Things looked bleak when Martin Braithwaite missed from the penalty spot when the scores were level at 0-0, but Barcelona then found themselves behind when Kike Garcia fired them ahead.
Ousmane Dembele was able to tie the game to spare Barcelona and Koeman’s blushes, though, as they took a share of the points, although there will be plenty around feeling as though they dropped two from this game.
Indeed, things arguably got worse for the Dutchman and the Catalans as Coutinho’s late injury will have left them with some major concerns.
The Brazilian playmaker went down holding his knee after attempting to make a pass and despite receiving treatment, he was unable to play any further part, thus potentially costing the club the opportunity to try and move him on in the January window.
For Barcelona, the match ended the 2020 campaign poorly and resulted in them having their worst La Liga campaign since 2003. The Catalans managed to win just seven of their opening 15 matches in the Spanish league this season, and for the first time since Messi has been the star of the show for the club.
Frank Rijkaard had the previous record of poor showings, whilst Barcelona have managed to win 73.7% of their matches since the Argentine superstar made his debut in 2004. When he has not played, they have won just over half of their games (55.9%), therefore making his potential departure in the summer all the more concerning.
