Analysing Barcelona performance vs Linares based on 4 key factors
Starting line-up
Putting a rotated squad in such a tense schedule made absolute sense, yet some of Xavi's pre-game decisions simply didn't pay off.
Oscar Mingueza still struggles to show his worth defensively; Neto has simply lost his confidence (why not try Inaki Pena instead?); Ilias Akhomach didn't seem comfortable playing at centre-forward.
At the same time, Xavi's decision to use Dani Alves as a complete wing-back was class while the Garcia-Araujo centre-back pairing proved itself quite well.
Rating: 5/10.
Defending
Barca allowed 8 shots during the game, 4 of them being quite dangerous. That's worrying knowing we played against a third-tier side.
Blaugrana's defensive problems came not from the Araujo-Garcia centre-back pairing, though, but from our weak wings (Alba-Mingueza) and the defensive midfield (Busquets).
Perhaps the most telling episode is the one with the Linares' goal. Passive defending on the left side, poor man-marking in the box result in an easy goal.
Rating: 4/10.
Attacking
Again, we speak about facing a third-division side, but Barca looked really good upfront, especially in the second half when Ousmane Dembele was subbed on.
The Catalans created tons of chances through creative Dani Alves, yet their middle area worked well too: Sergio Busquets massively improved his playmaking in the second half while Ferran Jutgla finally converted one of his multiple chances.
Overall, we had 24 shots, 7 of them on target, and also deserved a penalty in the first half when Ilias Akhomach fell to the ground.
Rating: 8/10.
Subs
As usual, the most underrated tactical aspect of Xavi.
The boss wasn't afraid to take risks and came up with a 3-man sub at the break – and it turned out to be a really smart decision as Barca instantly started to look more solid in the midfield.
His best decision, however, was to put Ousmane Dembele who entered the pitch and made the difference, scoring a goal and creating a few more scoring chances for himself.
Rating: 10/10.
Overall rating: 6.5/10.
Henry
just love writing about football and playing video games, love my quiet time also. contact me @ [email protected]
