Roger Grimau is presented with a Homeric task: to demonstrate that he is prepared to train a Barcelona with good instruments, but too far from sounding like an orchestra. In the first league classic of the season, a Real Madrid without Tavares or Deck, but with Poirier (22 points, 8 rebounds) and a 16-year-old teenager (Ismaila Diagne), tap danced in the painting and showed that the Barça team is still far from being up to par in posh scenarios. Willy Hernangómez and Jabari Parker, two of Barcelona’s great hopes, left no trace.
There is something that is appreciated about that Barcelona that Roger Grimau tries to organize with his Zen manner as a man who watches the work from the fence: the effort to ensure that your game approaches vertigo and leaves a certain aesthetic residue. It happens, however, that in the face of groups as well supported as Real Madrid, order and pause are also necessary to withstand moments of urgency. Everything in Barcelona smells episodic, without any continuity.
Barça was surprised at dawn by the emergence, but above all by the impact, of the very young Diagne. Chus Mateo had no problem offering him the responsibility of filling the hole left by Tavares by lining him up from the start. And Diagne not only complied, but also exposed the serious defensive deficiencies under the Barcelona hoop.. Jan Vesely suffered his share, and Diagne, in his first seven minutes, had already accumulated five points and eight rebounds.
Little impact
Although Campazzo, the traditional scourge, dragged Real Madrid towards its first growth spurt (11-2, min. 4), between Jabari Parker, first, and Darío Brizuela, later, they managed to balance the duel for a while. Of course, with actions that almost always arose from individual, not collective, talent. Parker, who will always be asked to return to his days of stardom in the NBA without realizing that his two knee operations have made him a very different player, offered some hopeful maneuver. Although he only played nine minutes. While Brizuela exhibited that offensive and uncontrollable outburst that makes him a player as anarchic as he is special.
Although, in a game with poor shooting records, where Barcelona suffered the most was in defending their rim. There he suffered the unspeakable Willy Hernangómez on his return to what was his house. Poirier played with Willy’s big body several times. Either to leave him in Babia, or to show him how aggressive one must be in a classic. Something that James Nnaji did seem to understand, whom Grimau had to turn to so that Real Madrid would stop hitting their nerves.
But after two quarters that were relatively even on the scoreboard (37-33, min. 20), but not in terms of feelings, Madrid was already able to get back on track from the third quarter onwards. Laprovittola scored his first points in the 25th minute. And Satoransky, his first basket just before being disqualified, after crushing against Poirier and culminate such a spectacular action with the reproach of frustration (min. 37).
Diagne finished his big night by hanging on the Barcelona hoop. And Grimau, beyond losing his second classic of the season after falling in the Super Cup, begins to discover that the coach’s sorrows have nothing to do with those of the player.
Data sheet:
86. Real Madrid (14+23+22+27): Campazzo (17), Abalde (2), Musa (13), Yabusele (3), Diagne (9) -starting five-, Causeur (-), Rudy Fernández (4), Henzonja (5), Sergio Rodríguez (-), Llull (9), Poirier (22), Ndiaye (2).
79. Barcelona (13+20+17+29): Laprovittola (10), Satoransky (2), Parker (7), Kalinic (10), Vesely (2) -starting five-, Brizuela (14), Willy Hernangómez (4), Abrines (3), Da Silva (-), Jokubaitis (12), Nnaji (8), Da Silva (2) and Parra (5).
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Referees: Martín Caballero, Juan de Dios Oyón and Joaquín García. Satoransky, disqualified (min.37).
Incidents: Match corresponding to the third day of the Endesa League played at the WiZink Center in Madrid before 11,235 spectators.