Analysis
Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres, Jordi Alba and Ansu Fati shone in the resounding victory over Villarreal
Xavi Hernández gave several unusual players a chance against Villarreal and the bet could not have turned out better. Jordi Alba, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati and Frenkie de Jong started from the start and were all among the most outstanding players in the comfortable 3-0 victory for the culé team. They ask for a step, while others like Eric García, Busquets, Raphinha or Balde already see coming through the rearview mirror how the second unit makes its way.
«Frenkie has been very good because we understood that he was the free man who had to divide. He has enjoyed the game and is happy. He deserves it. He has been very good, especially in defense, where he has been very well placed », said Xavi, after being asked about De Jong at the end of the duel. The Catalan coach opted to place the former Ajax player as an anchor, in the position of Busquets, and from there Barça began to win a game that threatened to become a new back and forth.
And it is that the Dutch was omnipresent in front of those of Emery. He broke lines both with passes and in circulation, was attentive to cut off any transition from the rival team and was the guide of his team when it came to making the famous pressure after loss that Xavi likes so much. His match comes at a key moment for Barça. The culés need more than ever a replacement for Busquets, the player who has suffered the most from the physical exuberance that the azulgrana want to impress on the matches. It is there where De Jong emerges as a necessary footballer so that this script can be carried out.
The former Ajax player was the highlight of the second unit, but he wasn’t the only one. Ansu Fati returned to the starting eleven and did so to show that little by little he is leaving behind the physical problems that have hampered the start of his promising career. He was active and a player who is already capable of winning one-on-one in the race could be seen alongside him and who began to associate with Lewandowski, Pedri and company.
Ansu is a candidate to enter more frequently in a trident in which Ferran Torres also hopes to fit. The former Valencia player is probably not the fastest, nor is he the most technical and not even the one with the most goals, but he is a player who combines the characteristics of all his competitors at the spearhead. He is a footballer capable of teaming up and that gives Barça one more resource when it comes to keeping the ball safe and avoiding unnecessary losses like the ones they paid dearly against Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
Jordi Alba does not give up
The summer began as a discard for Barcelona, who agreed to a transfer to Inter, and little by little he has been showing that he has a place in the new project. Jordi Alba started against Villarreal and became master of the left lane. His association with Ansu Fati, who left him the whole band, favored his virtues and he did not stop generating chances to the point of signing his first assist of the course with a pass that Lewandowski took advantage of perfectly to open the can of the azulgranas.
The other side of the coin was on the bench. Eric García left the Santiago Bernabéu marked out and his place was taken by Marcos Alonso, who lived his second match as an improvised central defender. Neither were Dembélé and Raphinha, two players who started the season like a shot but who in the last month have lowered their importance in the team and at this moment they begin to feel the pressure of two players who are slowly carburizing. The second unit makes its way into Barça and it remains to be seen if it ends up becoming the first unit.
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