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A major setback (1-2)

Jordi Clos

Barça have lost to Villarreal in a game they clearly dominated, but failed to create the right chances. Xavi was on target once again for the home side but a Senna and a late Tomasson goal were enough for the yellows to claim the three points.

Barça are now eight points behind Madrid after losing at home to third placed Villarreal, their second home defeat of the season and the second loss in a row in the championship. In Barça’s first game since the tears surrounding Messi’s injury, Barça were unable to dedicate three points to the Argentinian. Instead they got nothing out of a game they dominated, going behind to a penalty in the first half, but managing to equalise with a quarter of an hour to go. But just when Barça were on the verge of an epic comeback, Tomasson silenced the crowd with an unexpected winner.

Barça dominant

The game started with a shock, as Deco was injured in the warm up and Xavi began as a last minute replacement. Barça looked strong from the start and Eto’o almost scored after just two minutes, but was outwitted by Villarreal keeper Diego López in a one on one.

Villarreal were evidently keen to keep it tight at the back and focus instead on the counter attack. Matías Fernández was the first to warm the gloves of Valdés in the tenth minute but that was about all the visitors were able to conjure up in the first half hour.

Senna from the spot

Rijkaard’s side were pushing forward and the yellow shirts were almost entirely contained in their own half, but clear-cut chances were hard to come by. Barça looked comfortably in control until a the 'yellow submarine was awarded a penalty for a Victor Valdés foul on Guille Franco. Senna converted and the lead also boosted the visitors' confidence and they started passing ball around far more comfortably, while a visibly affected Barça started struggling to get the ball to the forwards.

Xavi on target again

Manuel Pellegrini’s side seemed content to slow the pace of the game for the rest of the half, but Barça were far more ambitious as they pushed forward in search of the equaliser. But everything seemed to be played down the middle, and Villarreal had little difficulty in closing Barça down. Bojan was sent on in the 65th minute to try to open things up a bit and it was immediately after this change that the equaliser came. Ronaldinho and Iniesta performed a delightful move down the left that led to a killer pass for Xavi to strike home and level affairs..

Tomasson grabs winner

It was Villarreal’s turn to be stunned, and from then on it looked like Barça were going to be able to add a second and claim three crucial points. But memories came flooding back of the game with Osasuna, as Diego López foiled everything Barcelona could produce and frustration starting setting in as the home side failed to seal a victory that was in their grasp. And with just ten minutes to go, a fine move by Villarreal and very much against the run of play, was finished off by Tomasson. 2-1 down, Barça pulled out all the stops out to get a late equaliser, with Ronaldinho hitting the bar from a free kick, but it just was not to be. Villarreal even had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside seconds before the referee blew the final whistle on a night Barça fans will prefer to forget and that leaves them eight points adrift of the leaders.

Leo, this one is for you

Roger Bogunyà

Barça return to league action, but without Messi. The injury that the Argentinian suffered to the femoral bicep in his leg has been a setback for Blaugrana as they head into the final phase of the campaign without one of their most talented players.

The team, howver, believes that they can beat Villarreal and they want to dedicate the victory to their teammates, who has been affected both physically and psychologically. The statistics favour Barcelona. In nine games in which Messi has been out this season, Barça have only lost one game (against Real Madrid).

Without the young forward, the Blaugrana defeated Sevilla in the Copa del Rey and beat Mallorca and Murcia in the league and, two year ago, won the Champions League. On Friday, Gianluca Zambrotta assured that the team is now looking towards winning all three competitions and when Messi returns he can be decisive in helping.

A difficult match

The road to success starts today against Villarreal in a game that is always difficult for Frank Rijkaard's side. The visitors are third in the league and face a Barça side with several injuries. Apart from Messi, the Dutch coach will be unable to call upon the services of Carles Puyol, who is suspended, nor Rafa Márquez, who is still injured. But Gaby Milito and Touré Yaya are are back in the squad as the central defender has recovered from teh fever that saw him miss the Celtic game, while the Ivory Coast midfielder has overcome some back pain in order to be ready.

Despite the absence of Messi, Barça have an enviable forward line. The Blaugrana and Villarreal have scored 94 league goals between them and Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, Nihat and Giuseppe Rossi have scord 45 of those between them. Both teams have a similar principle of scoring more than the opposition. When they met in the Copa del Rey quarters finals, the nature of the knockout event ensured that the game was more cagey than it is expected to be on Sunday and that cost Villarreal a place in the semis.

The opponent

On Sunday though, Villarreal will look to play their natural offensive game, that saw them win 3-1 in El Madrigal, even though they have Ángel out through suspension and Cani and Josico are both injured. Manuel Pellegrini can be pleased about the fact that Rossi and Pascal Cygan are back and Joan Capdevila and Gonzalo Rodríguez have both overcome knocks after being doubtful in midweek.