Barça fly high before the World Cup
A heroic away win for F.C. Barcelona at Osasuna’s stadium means that the Catalan club will remain at the top of LaLiga standings for over a month, irrespective of what Real Madrid do on Thursday against Cádiz.
Despite losing their most important attacking player in the 31st minute, when Robert Lewandowski saw a second yellow card, the team never gave up and pushed forward when they had the chance. This mentality allowed them to score the equaliser through Pedri and to keep trying even after knowing that a draw would be enough to sustain the top spot of LaLiga during the World Cup break.
Ecstasy broke loose in the 85th minute when Raphinha connected with a beautiful long ball served by Frenkie de Jong to lob it over Aitor Fernández with his head, to seal the deal by 1-2.
It could’ve been Gerard Piqué’s last match if he hadn’t been sent off at halftime given Andreas Christensen had to be subbed off due to physical discomfort. But the veteran centre back decided he’d make the most of his retirement to feel at ease by letting Jesús Gil Manzano know what he thought about his refereeing.
This victory at El Sadar and the late win versus Valencia shows Xavi’s team actually does have the character it was lacking in the Champions League. These are the kind of triumphs that can secure a league title in the long run.
In fact, according to @2010MisterChip it’s the first time ever that Barça have managed to win away from their stadium after being behind at half time and a man down.
But it’s not just a fighting spirit Barça have shown since that tough defeat against Real Madrid in mid October and the poor results vs Inter Milan. There’s also been an improvement in terms of the football they’ve displayed of late, particularly in those wins against Villarreal, Athletic Club and Almería. Despite the pressure that was mounting, Xavi helped turn around a delicate situation and Barça’s squad stepped up their performances by submitting their opponents, who never really stood a chance.
That was achieved partly because Barça managed to regain control of the midfield. They’d had too many games in which the team was excessively vertical, depending on the offensive creativity of wingers such as Ousmane Dembélé or Raphinha, and on Lewandowski’s finishing.
This is where players like Ferran Torres or de Jong have been pivotal. The ex-Manchester City forward doesn’t boast the individual talent of the other wingers, but can combine efficiently and open up spaces with his wise movements without the ball. He’s also capable of getting into very good scoring positions, but does still lack the ability to finish. Whereas de Jong is feeling more comfortable than ever in Xavi’s system, whether it’s taking on Sergio Busquets’ role or playing further ahead. He has the ability to drive the ball forward or slot in key passes to break opposition lines, like we recently saw in the winning goal against Osasuna.
Slowly but steadily Xavi’s finding a way to involve players that seemed a bit more disconnected from the team dynamic by getting the most out of them to fight for the cause.
With the lead now secured for a while, the big question will be whether the team can keep up this good form after the World Cup or if injuries and other factors will be disruptive once again like after the previous international break in late September.