Xavi lived a night that he will never forget. A night with many dysfunctions in a team that was about to leave it without the Cup. A night in which the coach ended up using four central defenders in the 120 minutes (Araujo and Koundé started; Marcos Alonso and Eric García finished later) without having , at no time, the necessary reliability, incapable as it was of having a hierarchy to dominate the match that got out of hand in the second half, so it looked into chaos. And he ended up kicking.
UNFORGIVENESS WEAKNESS
The first two Intercity goals had the same origin. Set piece actions. Both were marked by Oriol Soldevila. The first was born from a corner kick poorly defended by Barça because Koundé was not dedicated to his task. The second also came from an Intercity throw-in, which Xavi’s team could not decipher. The four members of the rear were left in evidence. From Bellerín to Alba passing through the two power stations (Koundé and Araujo). And hope came later for the Alicante team with another unforgivable mistake by Marcos Alonso in the 3-3 signed by Oriol Soldevila o ‘O. Solde’ as he looked in his black t-shirt that he will keep for his entire life. In 27 minutes he scored three goals for Barça. ‘Yes, three goals!’
PABLO, CHILD WITH PERSONALITY AND JUDGMENT
Lying on the left flank of midfield was the young Cantabrian interior. From there he had a lot of weight in Barça’s offensive game, also having the responsibility of launching corner kicks. The first ended in Araujo’s goal. A delight downtown Pablo Torre. Tense, strong and precise, the midfielder’s ball came out as if he were carrying it, such an Amazon package, from door to door. From his foot to the head of the Uruguayan.
In the first half he was bordering on perfection, moving intelligently up the attack front. His was Barça’s first shot, which went over the crossbar. His was the assistance to Araujo. His was the extraordinary personality that he showed throughout the game, restoring Xavi’s confidence that he showed him. How? He telling him with his good performance that he is prepared for greater challenges than playing the first round of the Cup.
UP TO FOUR ‘NINES’
Confirmed that Lewandowski will be out for the next three league games (Atlético, Getafe and Girona), Xavi took advantage of the Cup as a laboratory. He ordered an attack made up of Dembélé (right winger) and Memphis (left winger) covering Ferran Torres, who assumed the role of ‘nine’. He moved well, found spaces in the Intercity defense, but was unsuccessful in the last decision.
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This increased the frustration that has seized the former City striker, who has been at odds with the goal for some time. Too much time. Later, Memphis served as center forward. But nothing. Then Ansu and even Dembélé, the only two who finally found the necessary goal.
ARAUJO FACTOR
He came back and scored two goals. One, in a header that meant 0-1, and the other when he ran more than 60 meters to prevent Aaron’s shot from hitting Iñaki Peña. Decisive back and up. He left the field and Barça conceded two goals. Hopefully this will help us learn,” the Uruguayan central defender said later.