It was thick Barça in the second half against Valencia. And he was playing with one more. He was obstructing the Barça game until he found a way to survive the Montjuíc storm. He needed, yes, for the ball to stop. When the ball stopped, Xavi’s team breathed a sigh of relief because they detected the opponent’s weakness, also taking advantage of the fact that they were under the goal posts. Jaume Doménech, the substitute goalkeeper (1.85 m), due to the expulsion of Mamardashvili, the Georgian giant. It measures 1.99 meters.
Barça detected well this imbalance in the Valencian aerial game – there was 14 cm of difference between both goalkeepers – to score two goals from corners, eliciting a smile of complicity from Xavi with his assistants, especially Sergio Alegre, the person in charge of designing the strategy plays.
Last three days, four goals
Two goals from a corner kick from the left wing (Gündogan serves, Lewandowski heads) to unblock a dry and uncomfortable party. There are already nine goals this season, the best record, surpassing the eight achieved by Ernesto Valverde’s Barça in the 2017-18 season. And in the last three games (João Félix in Cádiz, Christensen in Madrid and Lewandowski against Valencia in Montjuïc) he has scored four goals, proof of that unexpected Barça fertility.
Lewandowski heads in to make it 3-2 after a corner kick from Gündogan. / Jordi Cotrina
“We have seen that working on these actions bears fruit,” Sergi Roberto pointed out, also remembering the goal that Christensen also scored in the Parc des Princes after a corner. “We have high-level throwers, like Gündo or Rafa,” said the captain, referring to the former City captain and Raphinha, “who put the ball where we work with it because there we have people like Robert,” he added, referring to Lewandowski.
Sergio’s notebook
“All this is Sergio’s credit, we worked on the strategy with him,” Sergi Roberto stressed, highlighting the figure of Sergio Alegre, Barça’s third coach, the person that Xavi brought from Qatar, after sharing the bench at Al-Sadd. from Doha. There they met professionally.
Alegre, who had served as assistant to Felix Sanchez In the youth teams of Qatar until reaching the senior team where they won the Asian Cup, he began his career as a coach at Terrassa. He almost 30 years ago. It happened in 1995 and Joaquín Hernández, Xavi’s father, gave him the opportunity to enter the Catalan club’s youth football to direct Alevín A.
“We have worked a lot on these plays, both Sergio and the entire staff. The strange thing is that they didn’t score more goals before because we have very good shooters. Gündo puts them very well, very well”
“We have worked a lot on these plays, both Sergio and the entire staff. They do an extraordinary job, both in attack and defense,” said Xavi, surprised, yes, because these results were not seen before. “The strange thing is that they didn’t score more goals before because we have some very good shooters. Gündo puts them very well, very well. Rafa himself, even Lamine, Pedri, sometimes, Frenkie… They are extraordinary shooters and they have given us three golden points because these actions are becoming more and more important in modern football,” the coach stressed.
Lewandowski celebrates Barça’s fourth goal, his third, chatting with Lamine Yamal alongside Gündogan at Barça-Valencia in Montjuïc. / Jordi Cotrina
These were the two goals that allowed Valencia to overcome the difficulties that Barça showed. “We were not good in the positional attack. Yes in the game, but not in that type of attack,” admitted Xavi, relieved because a throw from the left wing to the near post for Lewandowski to enter the shot, anticipating the Valencia defense, caused the score to be 2-2.
In the first half, and with only five corners, Barça already warned. Corner from the right by Gündogan and header by Araujo to the left post of Mamardashivili. He only threw five in the first 45 minutes. He doubled his bet in the second half: 10 corners. And it turned out wonderfully with those two goals from the Pole.
Small area invasion
At 2-2, Xavi’s team invaded the small area, taking advantage of the fact that Jaume Domènech was stuck under the crossbar. Up to six Barça players were in that area: Robert finished off, with Fermín disturbing the visual area of the Valencia substitute goalkeeper, while Araujo, Koundé and Iñigo Martinez They were the other finishing points and Sergi Roberto waited patiently at the far post.
At 3-2, Barça repeated the same formula. ‘Gundo’ serves, Jaume Domènech tepidly leaves the goal line, does not win the duel against Araujo and the rebound falls on Lewandowski’s head.
Lewandowski heads Barça’s 3-2 win over Valencia in Montjuïc. / Enric Fontcuberta / Efe
Up to seven Barça players in the tumult in the small area (João Félix had joined) prior to the Pole’s final shot in practically the same place as at 2-2. “I am very happy for the staff because they work a lot,” said Xavi, placing Sergio Alegre, third coach, and Òscar Hernández, second coach, in the center of the public stage right now when so much has been debated about their worth.
And Barça remains in second place when the ball stops. He has taken 209 corners in the League and scored nine goals. That is, you need to shoot 23.3 to score. But he arrived at the moment when he needed it most for the happiness of Lewandowski, a weak forward in the first half. Not a shot. Not even at the door. Nor outside either. That is, zero from zero.
Barça’s number nine was disconnected from the game, almost from the match. But then, in the second half, and Valencia had 10 players, the Pole had five shots, five on goal and three goals. All three, from set pieces: Gündogan’s corners and a superb free kick from outside the area.
2024-04-30 08:45:50
#Sergio #Alegre #draws #Gündogan #centers #Lewandowski #heads
