In the wake of Barcelona's defeat in Turin, and with the Italians travelling to the Camp Nou next week, Enrique expected his side to focus on La Liga. Especially after Real Madrid had taken the three points from Gijon to increase their gap at the top.
In the opening minutes they were faced by a brave Real Sociedad, who held a high line of pressure and attempted to move the ball around well. However, the hosts would break the deadlock through a 25-yard belter from none other than Lionel Messi. It was a brilliant goal from the Argentine who went to the top of the Golden boot table with his second goal of the night, after Suarez's shot was saved and the captain managed to scramble in the rebound to double the lead.
It looked like Barca were cruising to another comfortable home game, when the defence failed to clear the ball in the box allowing Martinez to blast the ball across, and the deflection coming off Umtiti for an own goal.
Just when Real Sociedad had got back into it, Messi fed the ball for Alcacer to finish past Rulli, to the visitors' disappointment. In spite of that, the away team managed to bounce back a minute later, with Willian Jose making Barca pay for their terrible defending with a great ball for Prieto to side-foot the ball into the corner.
The second half saw a more superior Real Sociedad on the front foot, taking the ball from Barcelona at the Camp Nou. The hosts' midfield was nowhere to be seen until Iniesta was introduced to the game to attempt to reclaim the ball. The match went all the way down to the wire, with both sides enjoying chances in a game that was wide open, but saw no goals in the second forty-five minutes.
In unconventionally dim fashion, Barcelona managed to come away with three points, but alarms will go off regarding the team's situation as a whole and the defensive deficiencies. Next up, a Champions League quarter-final second leg and 'El Clasico'.