not all wins by the minimum are equal

Professional choral performance of FC Barcelona (1-2), which got rid of Girona’s ragged game of the day and won by polishing the ‘how’ it pursues Xavi. An absurd own goal from Koundé He made the result squeak in the last minutes and introduced the scare factor that did not go further. Barça closes the first round with an exquisite balance of 50 points out of 57 possible. A devastating record that puts him on the way to the symbolic 100 points. And he is an unquestioned leader.

the tactic

Despite the mattress in the championship, Xavi He lined up the players and the structure that seem most reliable to him. He repeated the four midfielders, dispensing with a pure winger, and wrote on the blackboard the names of the four defenders who give him the most peace of mind, you know, Koundé, Araujo, Christensen and Balde. With the four midfielders cementing their containment and speed with the ball, Barça had recorded four wins and one loss. And what victories: against Atlético, Madrid and Real Sociedad. Somehow, to know if Xavi considers that a match is or is not of the highest demand, it is enough to see if he uses the 4-4-2 formula. Absolute respect, then, for Betis, aspiring to enter the Champions League, and Villamarín. In that scenario that was heating up as the outcome approached, Barça won with a very complete performance.

The data

He can almost boast of another game without conceding a bit -parsimoniously the touch of the chest entered Koundé– but made profitable his two goals. And in the field of sensations, better, much better, than against Girona. He led Barça in 14 of 18 games with a clean sheet. It can be said from the streak that Barça only fits if they put it on themselves. Six of the last seven victories in the League have been by the minimum. He shows above all strength. This Barça of the four midfielders is here to stay.

Marking to…

The marking had to be for raphinha, highly questioned in recent performances. When you cost that much money, surveillance is usually sticky (48 million + 12 in variables). The Brazilian does not run the same as the French, nor does he dribble with the same electricity. He doesn’t have either raphinha the contrasts of dembele and often goes unnoticed. At Villamarín he had a dynamic performance at the beginning. More positional than fast in attack, generous in helping in the rear. He had a goal disallowed in a header and gave an assist-scented pass to Pedro in the first part.

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What happens is that the defenders do not turn on the alarms when facing, unlike dembele. He has a good shot from distance, but he hasn’t tested his aim once. And then when he goes into an obfuscation loop, as happened in the second part, he calls for his replacement from all cardinal points. But when he seemed to sink, Bucket he crossed a ball and he, well placed, pushed inside. He saved a participation that was falling off the cliff.

The protagonist

That label could fall on Robert Lewandowski, who returned after the three games of suspension and scored a goal in the midst of a performance more willful than brilliant. Or he could fall back on Gavi, with the number ‘6’ on the back for the first time, number of a senior man. No, we will not mention ferran torres, who also reappeared, played a few minutes and did not contribute anything noteworthy. The leadership must be given to the entire team, to that first round that concluded this Wednesday with a balance of 50 points out of 57 possible, huge records. The game has not often lived up to the statistics, but today it is time to highlight the figure. Brutal, what would the cook say. “I’m leaving very satisfied with this performance, one of the best games of the season”, said Xavi. “We have to value things, we are on the right track,” he stressed.

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