Why does Isi Palazón make Barca suffer so much every time?

Why does Isi Palazón make Barca suffer so much every time?

From BarcaFutbol by Dev Das

March 29, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

The episode analyzes Isi Palazón's impact on Barcelona during their match against Rayo and explores the implications for the Barça season.

Rayo came to Camp Nou and did what they always do — pressed high, ran in behind Flick's defensive line, and made Barcelona deeply uncomfortable for long stretches of a match they won one-nil. The scoreline is a lie. And at the centre of Rayo's plan was Isi Palazón — thirty-one, underrated, built in the lower leagues of Spanish football before anyone gave him a chance. On Sunday he completed 95% of his passes against the best pressing team in La Liga, won seventeen duels, and ran the game for long stretches of the second half with a calmness that Barcelona simply had no answer for. This episode is about why he does it — not just on Sunday, but every single time these two sides meet — and what it means for a Barça side that is four points clear of Madrid with nine games left and a title to protect.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:49 Rayo Match Recap01:35 Newcastle High to Rayo Shock02:19 Rayo Tactics and Numbers03:36 Who Is Isi Palazon05:08 Sunday Masterclass Stats06:59 Beating Barca Press08:34 Barca Season Implications10:03 Final Thoughts and Outro

People in this episode

Host: Dev Das

Topics covered

  • Isi Palazón
  • Barcelona
  • Rayo tactics
  • football analysis
  • La Liga
  • match recap

Keywords

  • Isi Palazón
  • Barcelona
  • Rayo
  • La Liga
  • football tactics
  • match analysis
  • pressing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Barcelona, Rayo, Newcastle

Places: Camp Nou, Madrid

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