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FC Barcelona | Barça’s 1×1 on the tour of the United States

Act. a las 13:25

CEST


Dembélé and Raphinha have been the main names in attack, while Christensen and Eric Garcia have understood each other perfectly in defense

Gerard Piqué, Ansu Fati and Sergi Roberto, who lived through a complicated past season due to injuries, have recovered sensations during the last two weeks

The FC Barcelona tour of the United States it is already part of the past. The Blaugrana team has closed the tour in American lands with three wins and one draw in four games. Very positive feelings for the team led by Xavi Hernandezwho has been able to draw some very interesting conclusions in the middle of the transfer market prior to the 2022/23 season.

Dembele’s y Raphinha have been Barça’s main names in attack, while Christensen y Eric Garcia They have made it clear to Koundé and Piqué that it will not be easy for them to earn a place in the eleven. A Lewandowski only the goal was missing. His smile when he was substituted in the last match of the tour, after failing several times, shows that the polish striker is not worried at all.

footballers like Gerard Piqué, Ansu Fati y Sergio Robertwho lived through a difficult past year due to injuries, have taken advantage of the trip to the United States to recover sensations; hill y Go away They have had fewer minutes than expected. Pjanic has been claimed. Frenkie de Jong y Memphis Depay have shown considerable sealing ability and they have been at a good level despite all the rumors that surround them.

7

Ter Stegen, goalkeeper

slackened

He has only conceded one goal. He has performed safely under the sticks and with skill in the ball exit. The rivals have not demanded too much of him, but he has been seen at a good level. And very relaxed. He has taken advantage of the summer to make a clean slate. He needed it.

6

Inaki Pena, goalkeeper

rewarded

Along the same lines, he has had little work and has solved it without problems. He too has been beaten only once. After his productive ‘Erasmus’ in Turkey, he will have the opportunity in the Barça first team for which he has been fighting for so many years.

Arnau Tenas, goalkeeper

Patient

He hasn’t had a minute. He will be Xavi’s third goalkeeper if the sports management unblocks Neto’s departure.

5

Sergiño Dest, defender

Restrained

Timid in attack and weak in defense. He had the opportunity to vindicate himself and show Xavi that the arrival of César Azpilicueta was not imperative. He hasn’t made it. He began the tour with a starting role against Inter Miami, but his prominence has gradually faded to the point that he did not play a single minute against the New York Red Bulls.

6

Gerard Pique, defender

overtone

He was very clear that he did not want to miss the Las Vegas classic and he arrived on time. We’ll see if he too manages to earn the starting spot, as he promised Xavi, now that he will have fierce competition in the back line. He has taken advantage of the journey in American lands to recover sensations and acquire physical tone. With him on green, Barça has conceded very few chances.

7

Ronald Araujo, defender

Portentous

He has given continuity to the extraordinary level he exhibited last year. He has had to play more as a winger than as a center back and has confirmed both that he is a very interesting option for the right sector of the rear in games against demanding rivals and that he does not feel particularly comfortable when it comes to attacking. He showed off against Madrid and rested against Juventus.

8

Andreas Christensen, defender

hopeful

Presentation in society more than worthy of the Danish. Four games, four starts, four good performances. Skilled in building plays from behind and attentive in defensive corrections, in just two weeks he has turned the doubts that accompanied his arrival into illusion. He has hit it off perfectly with Eric Garcia. A signing that, whether he is a starter or not, greatly increases the competitive level of the team.

8

Eric Garcia, defense

Grown up

The central defender from Martorell was also very serious at the start of his second season. He has gained muscle mass and has been very reliable in individual duels, until now one of his pending issues. He is, along with Piqué, the center-back who best understands the way the ball comes out. A necessary profile for the culé defense.

6

Jordi Alba, defender

Unnoticed

For a footballer who never leaves anyone indifferent and who usually has a lot of presence in the rival field, not making mistakes and limiting himself to doing his duties is somewhat shocking. He has gone quite unnoticed, but he has played with intensity and rigor. He wants the real ‘party’ to start.

7

Alejandro Balde, defender

Amazing

Very good sensations. All brashness and daring. The youth squad has gone from less to more and has sent a message to Xavi: if he trusts him as a substitute for Jordi Alba, he will live up to expectations. Especially remarkable was his performance against the New York Red Bulls.

5

Sergi Roberto, defender

Wildcard

It is pigeonholed into a very specific role: it will serve to ‘plug holes’ in specific contexts. Versatility is his best virtue, but beyond midfield he will ‘only’ be an emergency solution. After a long period of inactivity, he has chained four meetings. That has been the best news for a footballer who has suffered a lot recently.

6

Marc Casadó, midfielder

Graduate

He’s only had two moments. Any conclusion would be hasty, but he is a boy with a lot of personality. The simple presence in the call was already a prize for him. He faces a season to grow in the subsidiary.

7

Sergio Busquets, midfielder

Essential

When the team exerts fierce and effective pressure, the captain smiles. Both because of his quality and because of the lack of a clear replacement, he continues to be the best possible conductor for Xavi Hernández’s project. The one from Badia is key in a team that aspires to live installed in the opposite field.

7

Pedri, midfielder

flashing

Its quality is unquestionable. His hierarchy, too. He began the tour with two exhibitions that invited Xavi to dose him. He rested against Juventus and only played half an hour in New York. He is 100% recovered from the injury that took him off the pitch in the final stretch of last season. And ready to shine in official competition.

7

Gavi, midfielder

Bustling

It is to a certain extent exciting how the man from Los Palacios and Villafranca lives and understands football. He does not give any ball per game and does not wrinkle before anyone. The word ‘friendly’ does not exist in his dictionary. We have seen a version of him more arriving. He has stepped on the opponent’s area more frequently than before.

6

Nico Gonzalez, midfielder

Embarrassed

After two convincing performances as a defensive midfielder, Xavi opted for him as a midfielder against ‘Juve’ and tried him out as a central defender against New York Red Bulls. The Egarense coach has to define very well what he wants from him and opt for an option.

7

Frenkie de Jong, centrocampista

Isolated

It hasn’t been an easy few weeks for the Dutchman. The uncertainty about his future has kept him away from starting… and from midfield. He performed really well coming off the bench and at centre-back in the first three games and was on top of the game in the last friendly. And he played in midfield, in his natural position. If he finally stays, he is called to be important.

6

Kessie, midfielder

Expansive

Barça missed a profile like his in midfield. The Ivorian covers a lot of territory and is a constant threat to opposing defences. He ‘attacks’ the spaces with determination. It seems, however, that the games are a bit long. From more to less both in the commitments and on the tour in general.

7

Miralem Pjanic, midfielder

Unexpected

When it seemed that it would be very difficult for him to continue, Xavi did not include him in his ‘discarded’ list. And he has taken advantage of the occasion to show signs of the extraordinary footballer that he was before arriving at the Camp Nou. He streamlines the movement of the ball and is an expert in overcoming lines of pressure. If he takes a pay cut, he could be an unexpected guest on the 2022/23 squad.

6

Pablo Torre, midfielder

Prudent

One senses in him a footballer capable of making a lot of differences in the future, but at the moment it will be very difficult for him to play regularly in the first team. The plan with the Cantabrian is perfectly defined: the priority is for him to take on stripes in the subsidiary while training with the ‘greats’.

5

Alex Collado, midfielder

Sporadic

He has had fewer minutes than expected and, when he has entered the grass, he has acted with impetus. He has different conditions that, for now, Xavi wants to have in his team. The one from Sabadell, however, needs to enjoy more continuity to show off the best version of him.

8

Raphinha, delantero

Selected

Two goals, two assists and spectacular sensations. It seems that he has been soaking up the Barça DNA all his life. Despite his status as a magician with the ball at his feet, he spares no effort. As a student of Marcelo Bielsa that he was, he is excellent in pressure after loss. Barcelona fans have already forgotten the high price that was paid for his transfer. Only the ‘chosen’ can boast of having debuted in a classic with a real goal.

8

Dembele, striker

Untied

Raphinha challenged him in the first two games, with two exhibitions and tremendous goalscoring efficiency, and he responded in the next two games. He has finished the tour with four goals, somewhat more than all the ones he celebrated last year between all competitions and the friendly in Australia.

6

Robert Lewandowski, forward

Leader

Everything that a center forward like him brings to the team is much more interesting than any goalscoring record. In his first three appearances as a culé a ‘killer’ has been seen who, despite the fact that he has remained unmarked, has been important from minute one. To a leader. He really wants to ‘break it’ at the Camp Nou.

6

Aubameyang, delantero

Secondary

Despite a good debut against Inter Miami, he has remained in the background. Xavi has come to test the Gabonese in the band, but he has not been excessively comfortable. The new signings have taken away his prominence, but he trusts himself a lot. He has the goal between eyebrows.

7

Ansu Fati, forward

Deshinibido

Little by little he becomes him again. There is no need to ask for more, for now. He is, without a doubt, the player who will most appreciate the arrival of players like Raphinha or Lewandowski. Despite keeping the ’10’, having less pressure will help him lose inhibitions and definitively forget about the ordeal with the injuries he has experienced in the last two years.

7

Memphis Depay, forward

Insistent

to his own As if his name wasn’t in one of the main folders of the ‘exit operation’, the Dutchman has shown off his character and has competed very well. He has many numbers to finish packing, but absolutely nothing of his professional behavior can be questioned. He returns from the United States with two good goals.

Ferran Torres, striker

Unlucky

The coaching staff has applied maximum prudence and has not forced him. He has run out of minutes because of the foot injury he sustained in the first preseason training session. The priority is that he arrives in perfect condition for the first official match.

5

Abde Ezzalzouli, delantero

Residual

Like Collado, he has played practically nothing. He looked a bit frustrated against Inter Miami after missing a couple of clear chances.

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