BarcelonaStrong victory for Barça in the always complicated field of Sevilla. Xavi Hernández’s men follow in the footsteps of Real Madrid in the standings, while Lopetegui’s men are sunk, with just one point from four matches. Then the hot notes.
The bad name must be buried. Ter Stegen has abandoned the diesel spirit (the one that reserves the best repertoire for the middle part of the seasons) and has started this term at a stratospheric level. Not only is there no reason to give him the Ter Statuen moniker, but it’s safe to say that he’s once again a point-saver. Against Rayo he avoided disaster, in Donosti he was decisive in the triumph and in Pizjuán he also had his say. Rakitic and En-Nesyri were denied the path to goal, one on one, in the middle of the initial chaos. Without him, it would have been much more difficult for Barça to solve the game in Sevilla. He laid the foundation stone of the later festival.
Depend less on Pedri. Xavi insists with the attacking trio of Raphinha, Lewandowski and Dembélé. The incipient RLD, DLR, LRD, DRL (or whatever you want to call it) leaves Ansu as repulsive and makes it difficult to justify the 55 million euros that Ferran Torres cost. But above all it shows that the processes are shortened if you have two creative ends and a predator of the area like Lewandowski. With three points so well sharpened you can get away with it even if the opponent dominates you for a while and your game generator, Pedri, intervenes rather little. It is good news that Barça is not so dependent on the Canary. Another thing is that this fits with Xavi’s football speech.
A (another) alternate millionaire. Vertigo doesn’t quite fit Pedri’s repertoire, but it suits Gavi perfectly, who compensates for his gaps in positional play with valuable vertical sense and spectacular intensity in pressure. Barça’s first goal in Seville, the work of Raphinha, was born from his recovery in the medulla in an action of pure faith. The Andalusian, who will renew in the coming weeks as a Barcelona player, is consolidated in Xavi’s lineups. Counts all League games as a starter. The stubborn De Jong will have to sweat a lot to get the starting minutes. At the moment, the Dutchman’s sole ownership was to replace Busquets, who was suspended in San Sebastià, at the defensive pivot. The interior is more expensive.
The revolution starts from behind. In the absence of seeing what share the newcomers Bellerín and Marcos Alonso have, the Barça defense is experiencing a considerable reduction in the average age at the beginning of the year. Kounde (23 years old), Araujo (23), Eric Garcia (21) and Balde (18) formed the defensive quartet in a complicated journey. It is no longer news to see Piqué and Alba, two captains who add 80 million to the wage bill, conversing on the bench. In fact, the second plan is understood considering the performance of the new batch. Kounde, again impeccable in the side, distributed two goal assists; Eric Garcia scored his first goal in La Liga and Balde and Araujo rounded off a smooth performance.
