In the morning Joan Laporta he had unleashed before the Andalusian supporters club: “We are going to defend Barça to the last drop of blood”, he vociferated true to his vehement style, along the lines of “to the parrot that they are not fooled”. He was talking about the Negreira case, of course, about which he has adopted from the beginning the strategy of indignation, of identifying enemies and bellowing, appealing to emotions and avoiding reasonable explanations for the moment, which will surely come one day. Xavi HernandezHours later, he also broke out with the lineup. risked with Ronald Araujoinvented with Eric Garcia and challenged Ansu Fati not to leave his eloquent father in his underwear. Wednesday’s game against Madrid justified creativity. Elche’s bottom position and the advantage at the head of the table, too. Nothing went wrong for him in the easiest game of the season.
The protagonist
Eric Garcia’s new position. One day a test is done and a position is discovered for a player who remains forever. Putting Messi as a false 9, as an extreme example. Or Puyol from central. Or Sergi Roberto from the side. They did not conceive of his professional career in those locations but one day, the inspiration and daring of a coach transform everything. Xavi lined up Eric in Busquets’s place (the idea came from Jordi Cruyff, according to the coach’s confession) and many of us wondered if we were facing a football epiphany of those that occur from time to time. It does not seem. Eric, a guy who has a reputation for being a tactical fidget and having a good understanding of the game, more than fulfilled the task, but it cannot be said that we attended the discovery of a chest of gold. He was neat and efficient, but little demanded. He did not put Busquets in the bind of whether or not to pack.
Marking to…
The ownership of Ansu Fati. He painted a starter even without his father’s pressure on the coach and the reality is that the pressure was put on his son. Who else who least thought: ‘today you play, let’s see what you do’. Well, let’s say that he was on his way to not leaving the impetuous Bori in a good place until at minute 55 he started running with the ball and launched a cross shot that went in and made him scream for release like a prisoner leaving the last gate behind. His teammates got on top of him, aware that he needed that goal like Catalunya needed the rain. A minute earlier he had lost a ball in midfield that exasperated the most patient fan. That goal saved him from a mediocre game and that goal should help him give some rhythm to his slow recovery towards being himself again. Something similar must happen with Ferran Torres, another who urgently needed to see the goal and did so in the team room. He has three goals in this League.
The goal
End to the Lewandowski drought. With Polish there are no valid dosages. Xavi lined him up and for the seventh time this season he opened the can. He had not scored since the Old Trafford match in the Europa League, in mid-February, and added two goals at once this Saturday. There are already 27 in all competitions, 17 in the League. Figures more than meritorious for the 34-year-old striker, who also provided a huge pass to Torres in his little goal.
The attitude
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Gavi’s momentum. There is no campaign, no matter how loud and Madrid it may be, that softens the 18-year-old boy. He was the soul of the team again until he was replaced with the score fixed. He would put the leg and head on a bonfire. A stubborn action of his preceded the team’s third goal, Lewandowski’s second.
another youth squad
The supply of La Masia. Pablo Torre played again for a while, claimed by the culé fan, but the comfortable result allowed us to see the debut of Aleix Garrido, 19, on his first trip with the first team. The Ripoll midfielder has formed a tandem with Gavi since the juvenile stage, both interiors. Then Gavi flew and he progresses at a more natural pace. In addition, they share an agent, Iván de la Peña. He is the ninth homegrown player that Xavi makes his debut. “As you lose a ball, you don’t play again,” the coach jokingly pressed him before leaving. He was not scared.