11/14/2023 Act. at 09:48 CET
The starting defense could be recited by heart once Joao Cancelo was signed at the buzzer, the long-awaited top-level right back that Barça’s first team had been looking for since the departure of Dani Alves. The circle was closed. A priori, the four for the big events looked like they were going to be Cancelo on the right, Koundé and Araujo in the axis of the defense and Alejandro Balde, already mature and after a spectacular season, on the left.
The issue was that Ronald was injured against Getafe and Xavi could not count on that theoretical luxury defense in the first games. It was Christensen who stood next to Jules. Impeccable, as always, the Dane, life insurance. The thing worked, Cancelo added ‘tangibles’ on the right, Balde may not have been the rocket of last season but he was contributing his own. Until this ‘mini-crisis’ of play and results was installed. More of the first. Of sensations.
THE BUCKET DOWN
Alejandro, who has not been called up with the senior Spanish team, paid for that small drop in play. And trustworthy. Something logical considering that he is a very young player and that he can go through bumps. The The emergence of Iñigo Martínez, practically unprecedented in the first 11 days between the fascia injury and the adaptation, has also ‘dynamite’ things.
The Ondarroa centre-back has made five starts in the last six games (four wins and one loss). Going at a good level and showing why Barça put their radar on him and opted to hire him. Plus, he has one thing going for him. He is the only pure left-footed center back in the first team..
The fact that Xavi placed Cancelo as a left-back with a changed leg was already a first ‘warning’ for Balde. The youth player He is still the starting side and the big bet, of course, but he is aware that he must give something more. And he can do it, he has already shown us.
The Egarense coach placed Araujo on the wing and the Koundé-Iñigo couple on the inside. Then, faced with Jules’ difficulties in containing Samu Omorodion’s power, he changed them. It was the hand of a saint, since Koundé gave the assist to make it 1-1 from the side to Lewandowski and Araujo dried up the Alavés forward.
In short, it seems that The order of the factors has been altered in the Barça defenseto. Balde is no longer immovable, Cancelo can occupy the right or left, Koundé can step on the side. Iñigo is no longer last in the rotation nor an ‘extra’ as it seemed in the first weeks…
2023-11-14 05:30:34
#Barcelona #Change #Barças #defensive #order
