The Barcelona match ended in disaster for her. Although she didn’t even miss
Anatoly Romanov March 4, 2024, 01:11 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Xavi has lost two key midfielders.
Barcelona had the opportunity to reduce the difference with Real to six points, but to do so they had to win in Bilbao, where they had already been eliminated from the Spanish Cup this season. Athletic, in turn, fights with Atlético for the ticket to the Champions League. Former Barça coach Ernesto Valverde’s team also needed a victory.
However, in this match Athletic did not pressure Barcelona as much as they could. Perhaps Valverde’s game plan was influenced by the fact that the team did not have a full week of preparation due to the Copa del Rey match. It was necessary to distribute the power correctly over the 90+ minutes so that the power did not run out prematurely.
Barcelona actively brought the ball to the attack through the sides: in the first half, Koundé and Cancelo had the most touches. The Maroons easily penetrated the Athletic area, and created the first goal chance from a set piece when Christensen, who was still playing as a defensive midfielder, was about to score with a header from the goal line. And at the end of the half hour of the game, Cancelo could have created one of the most beautiful goals of the season. It all started when Simón, securing the defenders, ran to the penalty line and somehow hit the ball towards the Portuguese, after which Cancelo dared to shoot almost from the center of the field. The goalkeeper stepped back, but reached for the ball, which still flew out of his gloves and into the goal. The goal was missed only thanks to a spectacular clearance by Álvarez from the line.
Athletic tried to attack with speed, taking advantage of their speed in the transition phases. But he created almost nothing precise before the break. Once, Imanol García fell in the Barcelona area after a duel with Koundé and the referee did not award a penalty. Most likely the referee was right. The Basque defender himself grabbed his rival’s leg.
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Barça’s own injuries turned out to be worse than those of the rival in the first half. The Catalans lost two midfielders at the same time. De Jong landed badly on his foot, injured his ankle and could only leave the field in an electric car. Pedri was injured out of nowhere: he hurt a muscle passing the ball. Terrible bad luck for Xavi’s team, simply a disaster!
After the break, Athletic put more pressure on Barcelona. The game opened and more free space appeared. It became more difficult for the Blaugrana without De Jong and Pedri. Once, in a dangerous moment, the Catalans were stopped at the last second by Kubarsi, who managed to clear the ball in the area without committing a penalty. For a 17-year-old central defender, Pau certainly seems very confident. And Barça, in turn, asked for a penalty when Yamal fell in the Athletic area, but in that episode, judging by the replay, the attacker himself was trapped in the opponent’s leg.
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Midway through the second half, Barcelona had a period of good possession and put a tired Athletic into the third. With 20 minutes left, Xavi immediately decided to make a triple change, depriving himself of the possibility of making changes at the end. Curiously, one of the players who appeared on the field in the San Mamés stands was booed especially loudly: the center back Martínez. In Kubarsi’s place came Íñigo, who played for Athletic before moving to Barça. Pau, despite all his talent, is still not made of iron.
The match calmly reached a scoreless draw. Xavi’s team only had Gundogan and Lewandowski left on the field among the attackers who started the match, and the scoring chances simply disappeared. The Pole, who had been very busy lately, had minimal chances this time. He faced the ball four times in the Athletic area and was limited to one blocked shot. In general, the game was average in terms of the number of shots. Both teams fired eight shots and hit the target twice. And the tie favors the competitors Barça and Athletic.
