BarcelonaSecond consecutive handball for Barça in an official match. This Tuesday it was Antwerp’s turn to suffer the voraciousness of the Blaugrana team, which starts the Champions League on a good footing. Next, some hot notes.
Two obligations before the holidays. It was imperative to settle the ticket at home against Antwerp, the likely Cinderella of Group H, and open the Champions League with a win. But Barça also needed to get back to the effectiveness it had not shown for a long time in Europe’s top competition, where premature failures have been accumulating for two years. The Blaugrana team is favorite to advance to the round of 16, this has been known since the day of the draw. But it’s just as important that he wins his group with an iron fist, pulling his hair when necessary. That he gains confidence, that he understands the superiority well and that he tries the right thing that later, when things go up, will be essential in order not to fall. This autumn he must turn Xavi’s team into contenders, because they are not yet.
Races that fall in love. Effectively, the Joãos continue on their way. If they keep the arrow up, let’s see who the hottie is moving them out of the lineup. Cancelo offers endless options because he is as capable of deploying on the wing as he is of combining inside, while Félix shows at every turn that he has taken this season as a revalidation. Against Antwerp, the ex-matalasser added two goals and an assist, but above all he showed a desire to work without the ball, one of the most consolidated commandments of Xavi’s Barça. Félix will always enter through the eye because he is an aesthetic footballer, talented and gifted in front of goal. Now, he’ll only be a 40-cap cracker per year if he’s sloppy when it comes to running back. We celebrate that it is applied in this sense.
The short-termist bet is quite fun. Joãos, Balde, Kounde and Raphinha add up to five players who have links with Jorge Mendes. Almost half of the whole eleven of Barça against Antwerp. The first three are represented by him, the fourth arrived in Barcelona thanks to him and the fifth is a bet by Deco, a former player from his orbit. The impact of the Portuguese super agent’s agenda on the culer team is as indisputable as, in view of the most recent results, positive. At the moment, the very close relationship he has with president Laporta benefits Xavi’s staff with resources, especially the two who arrived on the last day of the market, who are not in need of any adaptation.
A short template, but more plugged. If Barça’s first team is the least cash-strapped in the last 30 years, it is said and nothing happens. But if the cash in question is of a good standard and the injuries do not arrive en masse, the aforementioned lack of availability becomes a formidable argument for all the pieces to feel important and be ready to perform when called upon. This maxim is worth it for Raphinha, who started the campaign with a childish expulsion at Getafe, has witnessed the emergence of Lamine Yamal and the reset of Ferran Torres and is reacting to everything with a professionalism that is commendable. The Brazilian is one of those footballers who play better when they are angry. If the colleagues and the technicians understand the bad moon, all good.
2023-09-19 20:53:17
#hot #notes #BarçaAntwerp
