Barça eliminated Villarreal with three goals in 7 minutes (from 31 to 38) and destroyed Athletic sooner: in ten minutes (from 12 to 22). Two fearsome visits after the defeat at the Bernabéu were resolved more easily than expected. Barça took advantage of a special inspiration in the auction. He shot five times into Unai Simón’s frame, four between the three sticks, and celebrated three goals.
That reliability thanks to the management of Ousmane Dembélé, who starred in a tremendous performance for his intervention in the four goals. He lost other unusual balls due to the state of inspiration and precision that he exhibited.
He headed with the virtue of a nine to score the first goal in a play that continued after a great shot and the only save by Unai Simón. Enabled Sergi Roberto with a pennant pass with the 2-0 and detected only Lewandowski to throw him the 3-0 ball. The third assist went to Ferran. Barça finished with 10 shots on goal, 7 well directed.
“Ousmane has made a difference”, acknowledged Xavi gratefully. “Ousmane has that, that he plays it: there are days when he is thicker and others when he is stellar. And today he has been stellar,” he concluded.
Four midfielders and Kessié
Xavi brought together Gavi, Busquets, De Jong and Pedri on the pitch for the first time. He did not alter the system as in Milan by drawing an inner square, but he did tweak the operation of Barça. Pedri went to the band, to play as a left winger, but it was only a starting point.
Initially to fix De Marcos, who was one of the Athletic players who would jump under pressure along with Nico Williams. But Pedri had to go inside to collaborate in the construction of the game, and De Jong got closer to Busquets to ensure the exit of the ball from behind, through the center, to continue down the wing.
It was not necessary to have that superiority or the elaboration because Barça found the vein of Dembélé stretching the team on the other side and closing the scoring very soon.
Javier’s ideai “misplaced” Athletic. Valverde acknowledged that Pedri’s position was not expected, also Yeray. Kessié came in with Gavi’s injury, and those four midfielders remained, which were only reduced to three when Ferran replaced Pedri. As Dembélé was still on the field, there was another goal.
One on one across the field
What Valverde had prepared was a one-on-one fight throughout the field. individual surveillance to make it difficult for Barça to leave from behind and encourage their restlessness. Ter Stegen looked far to go through a shot towards Lewandowski or Pedri, but the azulgranas’ habit of getting out of that kind of pressure allowed Barça to advance without too many problems.
The team was gaining confidence, which multiplied as a result of Dembélé’s goal, very soon finished off by another from Sergi Roberto and the icing on the cake from Lewandowski. Athletic was diluted in shock, and their individual options were disabled.
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The williams brothers They had a night to forget. Nico faced Balde, old friend from the under-21s and didn’t beat him once. The defender won all six duels. Nico only hit one of the four dribbles he attempted. He also did not make up for his bad offensive night by running back to stop some of the incursions that Balde tried, excellent in all performances.
Iñaki, for his part, was a castaway between Koundé and Eric. That inferiority was never counteracted. Sancet and Muniain were substitutes. Athletic had only one clear chance, and it came at the last minute due to a blunder by Ter Stegen.