Yesterday, Barcelona won against Leganes at the Camp Nou by 2-0, thanks to the likes of Ansu Fati who opened the scoring at the end of the first half and Lionel Messi scoring from a penalty in the second half.
In the first half of the game, Barcelona was totally dominated by Leganes and they were very close to scoring, thanks to the likes of Clement Lenglet who rescued Barca. We saw a very different Barca in the first half and being packed by Leganes players, there was a lack of creativity for the Catalans.
Until, the 17 years old Ansu Fati came into rescue and scored a great goal from distance into the bottom right-hand corner to make it 1-0 at the end of the first half. This raised a boost among the players and in the second half we saw Barca dominating possession which created a few chances as well.
Griezmann who was looking out of focus yesterday managed to score a brilliant goal with a great assist from Semedo, who was brought in the second half. But unfortunately, the goal was disallowed due to offside by a fraction followed by Lionel Messi’s brilliant penalty which he rightfully earned by taking off defenders alone, at which he is a genius.
Messi again played a total of 90 minutes yesterday and he was full of energy till the last minute, which is truly great. However, his best teammate Luis Saurez, who replaced Ansu in the second half, looked very off form, failing to create an impact in the second half, which he made in the match against Mallorca.
Instead of giving Martin Braithwaite a chance against his former club, Setien chose another very high-rated youth player – Riqui Puig, who replaced Arthur at 73 minutes. As soon as he came into the pitch, he transmitted great energy which we generally see in Arturo Vidal, the 20-year lad looked confident to pair with Messi and almost scored a goal.
He also took a great shot from distance, which is lacking these days from the Barca forwards. In the short time of his stay, Puig was able to create a great impact by not only showing his attacking prowess but also dropping deep and defending as well. His performance was praised by his manager, Setien went on to say:
“I have seen him very good, he has come out with a lot of energy and he has done an extraordinary job. It is not easy to join the team, but this is what he should do. Take advantage of the minutes like today.“
“It is a pity that he did not score because he has been close to doing it. I greatly appreciate what he has done and the presence he has had.”
Hopefully, in the days to come Barca youths get more chances due to the five substitutes rule and show what they are capable of. Encouraging its youth academy is a fair job for the Blaugranas instead of going behind huge signings who are failing to create an impact in every season. Barcelona’s next game is against Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Friday night.
Sources: Marca
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