They say that in March 1983, Diego Armando Maradona played at Old Trafford the quarterfinals of the Recopa with a shirt of the Argentine team underneath that of Barc elona. It was not seen because Barça lost that match 3-0 and was eliminated by Manchester United. El Pelusa, three years before his exhibition in the 1986 World Cup against the English, already wanted revenge for the Malvinas.
Maradona, the best soloist there has ever been, a one-man orchestra who practically needed no one else to win, did not triumph at Barcelona, which shortly after the Argentine’s departure found his philosopher’s stone: the collective game, coral, attack brought by Cruyff and sublimated by Guardiola. With the Meyba shirt signed by Diego presiding over the match, Barça dedicated the victory to the Argentine star. But he did it his way, in the style of Barcelona, that Maradona could not enjoy in his time at the Camp Nou. The four starting forwards scored all four goals.
A choral team
Braithwaite, Griezmann, Coutinho and Messi got rid of the Navarrese with a great collective performance
The win, again four goals as against Dinamo Kiev, was led and rounded off by Leo Messi. On the tenth, who was an assistant and creator for most of the game, he invented one of his house-brand individual moves to send a left-foot cross to the squad, unstoppable for Sergio Herrera.
Messi and his particular leper tribute to Maradona
Messi had saved his particular tribute. And under the Barcelona shirt, the crack wore a Newell’s shirt, the team of his childhood and his city, the other club that he and Pelusa shared, with the number ten on his back. For a moment, the Camp Nou was the Colossus of Rosario Park when Leo looked and pointed to the sky. It was the culmination of a party much more academic than Maradonian. There were four goals but it could have been more.
In the first part
If Braithwaite opened the scoring with a loud goal and knee rebound, Griezmann excelled in the second with a spectacular volley
Barça, after crashing against the five defenders of Atlético and, more recently, of Alavés, proved to be applied and to have studied the lesson. The blaugrana have learned to face overcrowded defenses. Everyone fulfilled their role. For the first time a team with mechanisms was seen, with synchronized movements. I go out, you come in, he knows where to pass the ball and the other one waits in front for the center or the rebound.
By occupying the spaces well throughout the offensive front and with a very worked mobility, Barcelona was able to disconcert the a priori ordered Navarrese defense. The strength of Osasuna, always so brave, vanished like a house of cards due to the good Barcelona approach.
Generosity
The Frenchman, very liberated, gave the third to a needy Coutinho, who had missed two clear shots
Delivery and intensity have never been lacking for Koeman’s Barça at this start to the season. What was missed from the beginning was the skill and precision. This time, execution accompanied the idea.
The Dutch coach said that he wanted a high pace to attack Osasuna and acted accordingly. He gave command of the team to De Jong and Pedri in the engine room. The canary, who until now had played in the three positions of the playmaker, debuted his suit as a double pivot. And both were fresh and fine in the distribution, opening the ball to the wings or filtering balls to find Messi.
The special dedication
Messi closed the account and dedicated his goal to Maradona showing the Newell’s shirt worn by Pelusa
It is strange but the Kiev match, which even seemed to bother, has helped Barcelona to find several solutions. One is the Mingueza power station, another is the aforementioned Pedri, which ended up there in Ukraine, the third is the rediscovery of Braithwaite.
This is how the Barça players celebrated Coutinho’s goal
The Dane opened the scoring with an ugly goal, one of those that must be scored yes or yes. We had to wait for half an hour, but before that, Unai García had already avoided Coutinho’s first on the line. The Brazilian again found it difficult to hole in that center of Alba and Braithwaite caught the goalkeeper’s rejection to, at the second, and with his knee introduce the ball into the net. It was his third goal of the week.
If the 1-0 was strange and confusing, Griezmann’s 2-0 was a beauty. Alba, again opening the field on the left, crossed, Moncayola cut his head and on the front the Frenchman hooked a volley as violent as it was precise before which the red goalkeeper could do nothing.
A new injury
Lenglet had to retire limping with a colpe on his ankle and leaves Koeman without healthy centrals from the first team
The game could be compressed with a great Vaseline attempt from Moncayola himself from the center of the field that did not go on target in the last minute of the first half or with a shot from Iñigo Pérez that Ter Stegen saved in the first of the second half.
Griezmann, giving the note after scoring
But what came was Barça’s third with great generosity from Griezmann, relaxed, liberated, who, seeing Coutinho go through a bad streak, preferred to give the Brazilian a goal, who only had to push.
The bad news for Koeman is that the plague of injuries isn’t stopping. Lenglet hurt his right ankle in a jump with Rubén Pérez, which leaves him without healthy centrals from the first team. The Frenchman, who withdrew limping ostensibly, joins the losses of Piqué, Umtiti and Araújo. With what Barça had to end a defense with Junior on the right side, Alba on the left and De Jong and Mingueza.
Datasheet
4 – FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Dest (Junior, min.61), Mingueza, Lenglet (Aleñá, min.67), Jordi Alba; De Jong, Pedri (Sergio Busquets, min.46); Braithwaite, Messi, Coutinho (Dembélé, min.61); and Braithwaite (Trincao, min.61).
0 – Osasuna: Sergio Herrera; Nacho Vidal, Unai García, Raúl Navas, Roncaglia, Jony (Juan Cruz, min.23); Íñigo Pérez (Roberto Torres, min.63), Oier (Darko, min.64), Moncayola; Rubén García (Barja, min.74) and Budimir (Enric Gallego, min.74).
Goals: 1-0: min.30. 2-0: Griezmann, min.42. 3-0: Coutinho, min.57. 4-0: Messi, min.73.
Referee: Mateu Lahoz (Valencian Committee). He showed a yellow card to Messi (min.76).
Incidents: Match of the ninth day of LaLiga Santander played at the Camp Nou behind closed doors. Before the match, a minute’s silence was observed for the death of Diego Armando Maradona, a player for the Barça team between 1982 and 1984.
