Liga, Barellona with De Jong beat Alaves

Barça pale but winning and to Xavi for the moment it can be fine. Because in Vitoria, in the home of the penultimate in the standings, the only thing that counted was to win to cancel the last two consecutive knockouts costing the Super Cup and the King’s Cup, but also because you have to start recovering points on who is in front to at least take a Champions League position. The show offered by the Blaugrana was not great, but a flash of De Jong in the 87th minute was enough to make a full booty and bring him to just one length from the fourth place occupied by Atletico.

LIGHT OFF

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While Dembélé always remains out of the squad, Xavi loses Ansu Fati and has yet to do without Depay. Those who regularly mark presence are the hard core of the old guard, the one that has ended up in the crosshairs of critics for the latest limping performances: from Piqué and Jordi Alba to Busquets, Xavi still relies on them, also because the infirmary is crowded as usual . Ahead is the turn of Abde, De Jong and Ferran Torres, that is to say the thirteenth different trident tried in two months. Judging from the first 45 ‘, the solution can be safely dismissed: the Catalan attack produces in fact the misery of two timid attempts (with De Jong and Ferran Torres) that do not even tickle Pacheco. Slow maneuvering, no change of pace, zero overlap. Barça is simply monotonous, slams its nose against the opponent’s wall and limits itself to throwing harmless balls into the area from the right.

FINAL GIFT

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The best, not to mention the only real chance in the first part is for the Basques, who wasted badly at 45 ‘with Pons just a few steps away from Ter Stegen. The hosts are the first to try even in the second half, again with Pons, unlucky in the 52nd minute on a close detour. Pacheco’s evening passes without too many thrills except on set pieces, the only situations in which Barça manages to get close to the opposing goal: from one of these comes the most delicious opportunity of the Catalans on the feet of a De Jong who is not at all reactive in deflecting a center of Pedri washed by all the Basque defense. The only moves of Xavi are the entry of Gonzalez and Jutglà and the passage to 3-4-3 in the last quarter of an hour with the advancement of Jordi Alba, but still touching the goal is the Mendilibar team, at 78 ‘with a header from Joselu. For the Blaugrana there really seems nothing to be done, until a fatal mistake by the Basque defense who forgets Ferran Torres and above all De Jong in the 87th minute, who receives free in the center of the area to punch Pacheco. A generous prize for the Catalans, who straighten out the evening with the decisive help of their rivals and give oxygen to an already pressured Xavi.