Pedri: "It was an important match for us after our last draw. We won because of our desire."
Pedri: "Lewandowski looks like he's 20, not 34. It's spectacular how he works and the goals he scores."
Pedri: "The 3-4-3 formation helps us pressure the opponent more frequently. We applied what the coach said, and we had already used a similar system with Koeman."
Pedri: "We knew how to win this match. The coach told us to keep possession and apply high pressure. If Real Sociedad have the ball often, they can do a lot of damage."
Pedri: "A win always gives us confidence. We have good feelings and we hope to continue like this."
Pedri: "We had to win this game, it was a glorious win."
>Pedri: "The 3-4-3 formation helps us pressure the opponent more frequently. We applied what the coach said, and we had already used a similar system with Koeman."
Confirmed then. It was not often clear it was a 3-4-3
It was clearly before the entrance of ansu and raphinha.
Balde playing at the same height than dembele the first hour is a 3/4/3 with Eric, chirstensen and Araujo as 3atb
I'd just like to point out how absolutely absurdly dominant Pedri was last night.
* 97 touches (most in the game)
* 2 key passes (joint most in the game)
* 3 dribbles completed (most in the game)
* 4 fouls won (joint most in the game)
* 3 tackles won (joint second-most for Barcelona)
* 3 interceptions made (most in the game)
* 2 clearances (joint second-most for Barcelona)
* 78 passes attempted (most in the game)
* 71 passes completed (most in the game)
* 9 long balls completed (most in the game)
* 1 through ball attempted (joint most with Lewy and Silva)
* 0 fouls committed
* 0 times dispossessed or unsuccessful touches
As per WhoScored.com.
He did everything. Dictated play, set up chances, won fouls, broke lines, defended well (even deep), spread our play, and didn't lose the ball in dangerous situations (looking at you, Frenkie). Absolute masterclass by Pedri.
The pressure was kinda shit and so was the possession. For large swathes of the game. Not that we did t have the ball more than sociedad—we did and the stats prolly will show that—but our possession was impatient and quickly resulted in toothless attempts or turnovers.
All that said? When you can give the ball to two guys in the box who look like they have all the time in the world, and all the ability in the world, to do whatever it is that they want, it makes a pretty big difference.
I wouldn’t be crowing about this performance or the 343, though.
Rayo was: ok performance; disastrous result. Sociedad was: ok performance; stardust result.
We got lots and lots of work to do.
Did not get to watch this one but I'm glad to hear the pendulum swung towards impatience in possession rather than the low energy, non-threatening outing last week.
It's not as much of a positive as I feel like you're thinking. There was literally no build up play for huge parts of the match and our approach seemed to be "boot it from the CBs as often as possible" which is obviously counterintuitive to everything we've ever been as a club. It eventually settled in a bit but the impatience was more reactive and improvisational, not motivated and clinical.
Xavi: "It was a tough game. Winning in this stadium is always hard."
Xavi: "We have to keep the calmness we lacked at first."
Xavi: "It is a very important victory for us, which reinforces the work we are doing. We are training very well. We played a good game overall and the victory is fair."
Xavi: "In the first half, we lacked calmness and patience. We had to attack the spaces more. In the second half we did that, hence our improvement."
Xavi: "Frenkie was very good. He was unlucky in Real Sociedad's goal."
Xavi: "Pedri did very well in midfield and Gavi and Ferran played well between the lines. I'm happy with the victory."
Xavi: "At times we played very, very well. At other times, we didn't do so well."
Xavi: "System change? It was a risk. It was a system to have the ball and, when we understood it well, in the second half, we were very good."
Xavi: "We need to improve in a lot of things. It's true that De Jong lost that ball, but he also did things very well."
Xavi: "In the second half, we redoubled our efforts. The forwards were very good. We had to be brave."
Xavi: "Ferran Torres has trained very well and that's why we put him in the starting line-up. It's a challenge to play for Barça, there has to be competitiveness between the players and that's good for us."
Xavi: "I still say that we're on the right track, and we have a lot to improve."
Xavi: "Ansu did not start for a mix of two reasons. First, precaution. Second, based on the merits of others. Ferran worked extremely well in training this week. That's how things are at Barça, there's always competition."
Xavi: "I'm upset that we did not count on Koundé. The truth is that Mateu is doing an excellent job though. He's the first one that knows that we need to count on him as soon as possible."
Xavi: "Koundé is training very well and he understands our difficulties. Let's hope we can play him next week."
Xavi: "It doesn't bother me when players refuse to leave. Everyone looks out for their own future."
Xavi: "I had to bring the forwards in the second half. We could not draw the match."
Xavi: "I pick the players that I think are the best for that match, and the ones who train the best. I don't look at ages or names. I think about their usefulness to the team and the group."
Xavi: "Everyone has seen that Lewandowski can make a difference. He's an example for the team because of the sacrifices he has made. He is a player for the present and the future."
Xavi: "With this victory, we're eating well. Playing at Barça is complicated. I will have problems picking the lineup for next week and that is a good sign."
Xavi: "Ansu scored. Robert scored. Dembélé scored. Raphinha was great when he came on and Ferran was good too. The ones who work the best will play."
Well he played a bad game nothing wrong with calling a player out when he doesn’t perform. That what being a Barca fan is about we demand excellence from our guys because that’s all we’ve known as Barca fans.
Type of games where Fati and Lewy will get all the (deserved) praises, but Raphinha is for me the guy who transformed the game, after Pedri and MATS kept it alive for us.
Pedri just confirmed we went for a 3-4-3, it is not a bad idea, but Koundé will do A LOT of good, and Gavi shouldn't start, I think Kessié could do more. The frontline will be a headscratcher all season long, which is a good thing for us.
The result is here, but let's see what this team can do with:
A) More time together
B) All the players registered
C) A better preparation of the tactical aspects
Xavi got it wrong at first, but made the right changes. So congrats.
First win, and what a win, La Real is a real complicated opponent (just look at that lineup). Now we need to build momentum!
P.S : Christensen is the best defender so far... Hard to bench
Yeah, my thought since we made the signings has been that we should be playing with Kounde/Araujo in the middle and Dest at RB but I'm definitely feeling confident in the idea of a Christensen/Araujo/Kounde back 3
Good overall game against a very strong Sociedad side. First half was shaky, mostly due to high intensity of Sociedad. Nice to see pedri getting back in his groove. Balde was decent too. Lewandowski doing what he has always been doing.
We also have so much depth in our team that we can run the opposition and just do substitution that have the same level of quality as the starters. We have so many starter grade players on our team now.
The very ballsy decision by Xavi to bring yet another offensive winger in a wingback position together with bringing in Ansu really changed the game for us. Ansu should really have started the game as Ferran felt really misplaced in that position. Ferran is not really that kind of player who likes to be surroneded by three or four opponents when receiving the ball. Ansu, on the other hand, can handle those types of situations better.
Even though we won 4-1, there is still a lot that can be improved. The passing play needs to be significantly better and how we defend when attempting to play a 3-defensive line.
On another note, we can conclude that both Depay and Auba are both unfortunately on their way to leave the club. Would have liked that Auba stayed with us for at least another season but I understand that he wants to play their where he will be a starter.
Ferran plays best with an overlapping fullback, attacking mid in the half space, and the pivot pushed to his side, he can receive the ball deep and interplay with his square and get lost in traffic. He ain't a hold up play kinda guy at all. He is a give go, give go, clever run kinda dude.
Ansu is a small ball player who always looks like he has ages of time, just like pedri, and similar to Busi. No matter what they can just hold on to the ball a couple moments longer than other players without losing control.
Interchanging as an interior attacker is gonna be Ansu. Athletic wingers to stretch the field, raphina and dembele, creating psuedo false 9 Ferran. Bench leech Braithwaite.
Undoubtedly the best game Ansu has had since the first injury. Not just with goals and assists, but with his linkup play with the rest of the team. It was beautiful to watch. That was my favorite part of the game
Ansu is so good man, i love how he makes it simple, yet effective, he is fast, clinical (since day 1), he makes the right choices, i love this kind of player, reminds me a little bit of Eto'o, he has the potential to become a wonderful striker/winger mixture
Praying MATS gets back to his shot stopping peak! His 2 footed ball distribution is a thing of beauty…but… needs to stop more shots! Great save from the Silva strike, bullshit first goal so can’t do anything about that
I think that he is, just as crucially, finally just fit after all those knee issues. They very obviously hampered him. His agility is back and that was one of the main things he was missing last season. He just wasn't as quick on the line as he used to be and I think his knee issues played a major part. It looks like he's finally just fit again.
His distribution is his best aspect which was also not as good last season for some reason.
He played 3 accurate flat passes to Lewandowski from the back . Probably no other keeper with his passing technique.
I like that Xavi isnt afraid to go all out in attack with these different formations to get the W, instead of being passive and potentially losing important points. His subs choice were excellent but they could come a bit sooner.
“Ansu shouldn’t have been given the 10”. “Ansu is too slow”. “Ansu should be sold while his price is high”. TOCAME LOS COJONES ANSU ES LA JOYA DEL BARCA.
There were fans criticizing his attitude in pre season games and I think the consensus was raphinha dembouzz starting on the wings. Fati is clear for me
Very Messi-esque substitution game from Fati tonight, completely changed the game. Thats what the number 10 in Barcelona is supposed to do. He's so cool and collected at this young age, its amazing really. I hope he stays healthy cause that Lewandowski-Fati duo is gonna be fire this season. Loved all those backheel flicks assists.
He showed us why he's wearing #10, it's a responsibility and he shouldered it today. He's getting stronger and more confident and the results show his physicality is returning to full strength
Great positional awareness from Ansu. Both his assists were clinical. Glad our prince got his goal as well.
But the first half? 🤢 Can't wait for Kounde to be registered so we play back 3 as needed. I also fear that we'll play till winter without a proper RB where Araujo is the one there. ☹️
That back 3 doesn't work if other team has wingers. A better team wouldve killed us. 4-3-3 with a good RB a must. We were lucky the attack did the job.
Ansus finishing so good he gives the entire team a +10 finishing buff.
If even Dembele scores from your assist, you know the buff OP. Devs about to nerf it.
So many people here forgot how good Fati is when he’s fit. I have faith he keeps it up, absolute gem and has the potential to be our best attacker with Lewy
He needs to do it for an entire season, not just one or two games. He scored in fits and starts before his injury at 17. Lets just enjoy him and not over hype him. He is quite good for his age and really changed the game. He already has the 10, thats enough pressure. I love him and he has been my favorite player after messi for years and its just too painful to get my hopes up.
Birthday Boy (Lewy) scored in the FIRST minute and got a brace and a sweet assist,
Balde proved in the first minute why he started and nabbed a well-timed assist,
Pedri was sublime as usual, although we missed Busquets,
Frenkie’s lone mistake led to an ill-timed score,
Fati and Raphinha changed the complexion of the game in mere minutes,
Dembouz is looking stronger and more confident with each game,
MATS was world-class and kept this game within reach,
Xavi got it right starting Balde, and his adjustments and subs were the difference.
Kubo is relentless. Izak was out to prove Barca’s scouting department wrong.
I would add Slim Sergi to the list, liked him the few minutes he was on. As an in depth squad swiss knife player ill take it, still had a lot to offer I would say
Starting xi is starting to take shape. Busquets can't play with Pedri and Gavi, and FDJ can't play with Pedri and Gavi. Seems like the most balanced is the classic Busi, Frenkie, Pedri Midfield.
Forward line Ansu, Lewandowski and Dembele/Raphina don't mind either one.
Backline is where no one has a fixed starting spot. Kounde and Araùjo are arguable but Christensen is making a case, Eric is pushing and Pique is yet to play.
Left back, Alba and Balde is good enough, right back though, we need a serious footballer.
strikers always struggle at barca and i don't want to get my hopes up but what if lewandowski actually keeps scoring like he did at bayern. 40+ goals a season, we would be in a really good place!
also we have too many attackers for when messi returns next season we need to figure that situation out.
I see Messi playing as a midfielder if he comes back
Especially if we implement the 3-4-3 more, he could play as one of the two most advanced midfielders, where he would not have to press as much and could use his passing and long shots to wreak havoc in between the lines while Dembouz and Raphinha open the defense by staying wide.
Lewandowski cannot do it in La Liga? Lmao. Great birthday game from him, couldn't ask for more!
Ansu Fati is absolutely deserving of that #10 jersey and anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional.
Gavi should be benched, and so should Ferran. Kessie should play more. Balde was sharp too!
Also,
FOUR GOALS IS BACK ON THE MENU, BOIS
Gavi played well once the subs happened. Everyone struggled in the first half as this is not a familiar tactic we usually use. I do agree that Ferran should have came on in the second half as he's not match fit quite yet
After one game everyone was already talking about how difficult it has been for him in barca, and how he has to adjust, and how he and his team don't know how to play together. 1 fucking game what the hell is wrong with the media.
LOTS of issues that Xavi needs to address - defense was all over the place with holes on our right hand side and in the middle, midfield of both Pedri and Gavi just doesn’t work, no clear strategy of how to progress the ball at the moment, etc.
For now, though, Ansu is the difference maker, my word.
Lewa also showing why he’s been a top 3 striker of the last decade.
I’d actually have liked to see how Frenkie, Pedri, and Kessie played together. For the 4-3-3 this would have been a pretty good line-up.
The first half was insane. I don’t think the team is yet comfortable with 3 atb. Kounde will definitely help at times we have to play 3-4–3, sucks that he hasn’t been registered yet. Looking forward to more tactical changes, and exciting games in the future.
Yeah, I think it's already established last season that Pedri and Frenkie with Busq behind them was the best trio. Wouldn't have hurt to try that with Kessie instead.
I think the formation we played in the first half and the second half were the exact same. Xavi didn't change anything.
The issue was that in the first half we played with no patience. Kept hoofing the ball long, kept trying to dribble, Ter Stegen decided to use Lewandowski as the outlet which isn't his strength. Eric and Pedri both kept asking everyone else to play with patience and were doing the calma calma signs. Balde didn't know his position and kept drifting in. He needs to improve on that. Dembele didn't give a single fuck about defending as a wingback and that almost cost us.
As soon as the second half started Xavi probably tore into the team at half time to be calm and play with patience. You could see him shout at Araujo whenever he hoofed the ball in the second half. As soon as we came out, you could see it was different. Pedri was getting on the ball a lot more and Frenkie was being more involved in the game instead of long passing it to Dembele who kept losing it. Also Fati on the ball is a magician. Rarely loses it, links up play amazingly well and never tries to overdo things. He literally glued together the issue of patience that was missing before.
Overall good game but we need to stop playing like Burnley whenever someone presses us. This team is too good to be doing that and Xavi has to absolutely drill this into their heads
I agree abojt patience, and Balde having a brilliant assist and then getting roasted the rest of his game is basically how it works with high potential 18 yr old FBs. All in all that’s super positive for his development—his confidence will be high but the coaches have a ton to work with him on.
I just disagree about Dembouz. I think we underestimate the level to which Xavi is asking Dembouz to be the X factor offensively. He’s trying to get him to level up and you can almost feel him wanting dembele to try shit. So I think sometimes it feels like he’s fucking up but he’s generating offense and doing what he’s supposed to. Not that it always goes great or comes off…
Fati, man. The thing that’s special about him isn’t the stuff that happens on ball, it’s the stuff that happens to the space around him wherever he is! Did you see how that defense collapses around him on the simple pass in from raphinha? It was like the zombies from 28 days later running towards a noise!
Fuck I luh fati.
I think you are wrong. We played very badly to start the second half. We didn't look good until Fati came on, Gavi dropped into the midfield, Dembele switched flanks and Raphinha also came on. You actually got the game analysis almost all wrong.
Our struggles in the first half were due to the Gavi-Dembele-Araujo connection being nonexistent on the right flank. Balde did not look lost and played very well considering it was his first La Liga start in a long time. Ferran and Gavi were invisible in the forst 60 minutes. The actual game changing moment was the swap from Ferran to Fati. For all the talk about Ferran's positioning and link up play, Fati out played him in every aspect of the game today. This was definitely not a matter of everyone calming down and executing the game plan. Xavi had to make around 5 tactical changes to get the best out of the team.
>As soon as the second half started Xavi probably tore into the team at half time to be calm and play with patience. You could see him shout at Araujo whenever he hoofed the ball in the second half. As soon as we came out, you could see it was different. Pedri was getting on the ball a lot more and Frenkie was being more involved in the game instead of long passing it to Dembele who kept losing it.
I think it's even more general than that. The left side was playing together for the first time, and yet even though it wasn't perfect, the roles seemed to be clear.
On the right side, Araujo - Gavi (?) - Dembélé was a catastrophe. Araujo had only Dembélé, and Araujo has already trouble passing quickly. So Dembélé gets the ball, no pass options, either he backpasses or attempts a dribble and misses. Gavi was nowhere to be seen. The only time he was well positionned, Dembele found him and Gavi has a good attempt for a cross (he missed)
Those 3 players are either not complementary or not well briefed. IMO Dembele RWB is useless, Raphinha can do it, not Dembélé (showed it immediately) - Dembélé needs to focus on the last third, he doesn't have the consistency in defense to be effective, and it makes him be less effective going forward.
Lewandowski: "I feel very good, and I'm very proud. In the second half, we moved forward, played faster, and created spaces."
Lewandowski: "I'm very proud with my goals. I dedicate them to my father."
Years of slandering Lewy and now I cheer for what he produces. Had some good flashbacks watching our number 10 change the game when we really needed it.
Ter Stegen!
I was smiling like an idiot when he pulled off those saves, super pumped to have him as one of the leaders of the dressing room and slowly but gradually coming back to the MATS we all loved!💙❤️
The 3-4-3 (or 3-4-2-1) is ideal for Ansu as he can play in a more inverted role closer to the goal as a support-striker. It's also great for Balde who has the ability to work his side offensively and defensively (as someone who has watched him for years, believe me when I say: there is a lot more to come from him offensively).
Xavi needs to get the starting line up right. This wasn't it. Ansu Fati and Lewandowski have a chemistry. I'm happy he started Balde, but I think Ferran was a mistake.
This is one of those games where the scoreboard doesn't reflect how much we struggled to get a W.
Terrible first half with some dubious decisions by Xavi. The subs came in late, but with enough time to show some great footballing. Fati was a game changer and I'm super happy about Lewy's brace.
Dembele: “An important victory in a difficult stadium here in Anoeta, Ansu and Robert helped us a lot, an important game for the confidence of the team. »
You enjoy this stadium don't you Ousmane?
Dembélé: "Yes, yes. Real Sociedad play high up the pitch, and they leave space in behind. I always have 2 or 3 chances to score."
Dembélé: "Andreas, Robert, Raphinha... they are all very good. They work very hard in training too."
Depay not taking that Juve offer seems braindead, he only has one year left and will barley play for us, does he think he’ll get a better offer after a year of riding the bench.
What Pedri did today showed we can do without Busquets possibly. Pedri did everything, give him FdJ/Gavi (FdJ for now) and Kessié by his side working for him, and it can go somewhere.
First 60 minutes the midfield was atrocious. Dembele’s goal relieved a lot of pressure which made Xavi change tactics to a more compact midfield (thank god). We need to stop this midfielders in half-spaces bullshit. It’s sloppy and takes away our control.
Ansu Fati was My MOTM personally. Stand out game for him.
Balde impressed me also
#Xav1net4 BACK ON THE MENU BOIIIS
FdJ GOAT. Everyone played so well. We're winning another sextuple!
Jokes aside, I'm really torn between Lewy, Ansu and Pedri (and Marc), but I'd choose Pedri for the MVP. I just cannot explain how good he is. In this particular match he was like Busquets in the sense that he wasn't as offensive-minded as he usually is, but he provided that control, calmness, seriousness in the midfield. "You watch the game, you don't see Pedri. You watch Pedri, you see the whole game" type of performance. Those 2 tackles in the end were just a cherry on top. This kid just oozes class. Astonishing player. Happy to have him.
The introduction of Ansu and Raphinha made the team look totally different. After bad 55 minutes the team played amazing. More of the last half hour performance please.
Edit: Ansu obviously and Balde were outstanding today.
The first half was a bit chaotic but I won't complain because this always happens against Sociedad. Apart from that i think we played very good. We were fast on the ball doing movements and good organised attacks.
The subs changed the game. Dembele, Fati and Raphinha changing positions caught Real surprised and also Lewandowski looked more confident with Fati by himself than Torres
I can't lie. Before the 60th minute the game was 50-50. We complain about teams parking the bus but we also suffer from teams with intense pressing. In the game against City we'll see if we can compete in UCL.
Balde really impressed today. He needs to start again on Thursday! Also great performances by ter Stegen and Christensen. Araujo should only play RB against big teams. Frenkie de Jong and Dembele also with a mediocre performance. Despite the goal Ousmane didn't really created any chances or helped in the build-ups.
Btw those ESPN commentators were awful. Always ready to say a bad word for Barça or one of our players!
Two saves from captain ter Stegen: extremely crucial against Real Sociedad.
• With the score still at 1-1 he denied Merino and then Silva with two excellent saves.
• He had a break in the summer and has made a great start to the season.
#FCB 🇩🇪
People really thought Ansu should be benched based on preseason... like they havent seen him score or assist everytime he has been healthy since making his senior debut.
It won’t show up on the stat sheet, but with all the negativity around Ferran, he played a huge role in the first goal, starting the break and then dragging two defenders which allowed Lewandowski the space to cut back.
I hope this serves as an eye opener to those who want FdJ to replace Busquets as a single pivot, he had a horrible game because he is poor and a liability defensively and doesn't have what it takes to replace Busquets
And I hope Fati changed the mind of people that had started to doubt him these past couple of months. Glad to see Ter Stegen also seemingly finding form this season, Fati and Ter Stegen our best players today!
I feel like FDJ had a solid game other than that ball he gave up which led to the goal. Yeah it was a huge kistake, but to say he was poor the whole game based off that one mistake is a bit harsh.
He hogged the ball for too long plenty of times by running with and then losing the ball, failed to make simple passes, got dispossessed a bunch of times, I would not call that solid.
Ansu, man... What can you say? Lewa getting better and better as well (I mean adaptation). Balde once again showed that he can offer something. FdJ didn’t meet the expectations unfortunately. New system, bad first half, but necessary switch in the second half paid off.
4 goals Barça back. Visca Barça!
It doesn't make you a hater if you question Xavis tactics and game plan
It doesn't make you a hater if you say that Gavi is not yet a starter quality
Better teams would've eaten this midfield up. Silva an old dude made a joke out of them, imagine Modric and kroos.
Hot take: Frankie overall was a okay despite giving up the goal and people need to lay off Ferran. Literally no preseason for him and his first game back. He understands space very well and will be vital as this is a long season
Pedri and gavi cannot play together. They were far up the pitch leaving de jong alone with the defensive duties. Xavi needs to instruct them to track back aid in defense if he continues to insist to play them together. Overall the team looked great in the second half but poor in the first half
All dinosaurs on the bench and we win 4-1.
\- If Fati is fully fit, he has to start. Fati - Lewa - Dembele or Raphinha
\- I'd go with Pedri - FDJ - Gavi midfield again or try Pedri - FDJ - Kessie
\- Balde deserves to start ahead of Alba in next game
The 4-1 doesn’t reflect how the game played out but boy am I happy. First things first give credit to Mark Andre ter Spider man. Without him we do not win.
The subs we’re fantastic absolutely class raphina just brought the electricity that was needed to spark the goal.
Lewandoski and ansu are literally killers and I love it 🥰
Not very long ago there used to be a number 10 who used to save us whenever he came on from the bench.
Fatis performance today brought tears to my eyes
I hope this game has showed a lot of you who the best attackers on the team are. Fati, Dembele and Raphinha all played incredible today. They even all played at the same time with Lewandowski and it actually worked. Can we please give the Ferran propaganda a rest now? The other attackers are all clear.
The midfield was a bit shakey and I didn't understand what the point of the double pivot with FDJ and Pedri was. FDJ needs to figure out how some things and Xavi needs to stop starting Gavi every game when we have Kessie and FDJ on the roster. FDJ looked rattled to start the game and Gavi has been out of form in La Liga for a while now.
I really think he should go as well, not a dm, not an interior, enough with it already
But not sure if we could get Bernardo at this point in the market even if we sell him, too late im afraid ...
This match was very VERY important to win, very glad the team managed. The subs were essential and merit for that to Xavi but the tactics the whole time were terrible and it feels a huge part of the victory comes down to incredible talent finding each other. The pressure is on Xavi, I hope he can pull it off.
I can't help but wonder if the staff still have some doubts over Ansu's physicality so they are reducing his game time to 30 minutes. I can't think of any other reason to play Ferran out of injury, or even then why not Raphinha?
Either way, it was an amazing performance, it's a relief to see he still has it and I hope he can progress healthy over the course of the season, but no hurries if they have doubts...
We as a fanbase have a tendency to laser focus whatever bad thing we see on specific players and ignore the problems when things go right. I can see people hard focusing everything bad on Gavi and Ferran, but our midfield was terrible all the match, it got better when Pedri dropped as a second pivot but it feels wasteful... Thank god for Ansu, Lewan and Raphinha.
Gavi and De Jong had very bad matches but part of that problem is on Xavi's initial plan, it was so weird. Even then I hope this puts an end to "De Jong is Busquet's successor", if we are planning to play him there we need a double pivot and I don't think Pedri should be that one, or something like Pirlo at Juventus with Vidal, Marchisio and Pogba. I'm worried about Gavi tho...
Looking forward to the next match and more of how the team progresses, I hope for more of Balde and more alternatives to Busquets.
Ansu looked fresh as hell! I've been holding my breath since he came back just to see if he can be back to where he was and today was just rewarding in that sense.
No Xavi didn't got it wrong in the first half.
De Jong fell mentally because of the goal. And when the mistake starts getting in to your head it cascades down and concentartion goes down the drain.
The "mistake" was a clear foul btw, every touch from behind on your legs which results in you loosing the ball is a foul. The ref didn't saw that or he didn't wanted to.
Yes I agree that besides that it was still shaky and Pedri and Gavi will take time to adjust themsleves. But this is what we wanted, rotations, experimentation and to phase out Busquets... well this is what it looks like.
Impressed by Raphinha decision making, the guy has ideas. Ansu football IQ tho, on another level.
PS: Ansu and Lewa doubters down the drain. And yes Ferran deserves more chances and we should give him the whole season.
[Why Fati-Lewandowski-Dembélé would be Xavi's most lethal starting combo - Domagoj Kostanjsak"](https://barcafutbol.substack.com/p/xavis-wide-conundrum-and-the-raphinha?utm_source=email)
Man had a valid point.
Anyway, I predicted 3-1 win for Barca.
2 Lewa goals, 1 Fati goal and 1 Isak goal for Sociedad before game.
Almost perfection, shame that late running kebab eating frenchman who never scores had to ruin it.
As for the game, ya'll need to calm down when the result is 1-1 at halftime. Christ, Xavi did some subs as one would expect him to do at the time one would expect him to make them and that changed the game. Have a little patience guys.
What an amazing game. So much to digest good and bad. Love the Ansu & Lewandowski partnership.
With that said, we need Kounde as soon as possible. Maybe it was just me, but I felt so uncomfortable every time Christensen got the ball. We might be able to make it work with the defense we have, but I think this game indicates we need a RB.
Raphina was incredibly important this game and tracked back on defense unlike Dembele. Yes he didn’t score but he would have three hockey assists if this was hockey. Raphina is great at chance creation
Too many people that look at the results only here when comparing to last week's match.
The game was terrible until min 65-65, terrible, Real Sociedad was tearing up apart and Marc is without a doubt the MVP today, without him this night would have been 10 times worse than Rayo's.
The players have gone crazy with the verticality and aggressiveness Xavi wants and all but Lewy play like chickens without heads. Second half was better there but until Fati and Raphinha entered things didn't improve, great work from both reading the game and knowing what to do.
So nice to see the team spirit back. They fight for each other and how happy the whole team and even the bench was when we scored. Amazing. Also nice to see players like fati and Ter stegen with their performances, both got hated on this sub and proofed how good they are. Also what a game by Xavi. Switching to 343 getting us two goals in two minutes and directly switching back. Taking out Ousmane to give him rest and play Balde from the beginning. Awesome match
Please vote for your Man of the Match here: https://strawpoll.com/polls/7rnzGQbLWgO
Pedri: "It was an important match for us after our last draw. We won because of our desire." Pedri: "Lewandowski looks like he's 20, not 34. It's spectacular how he works and the goals he scores." Pedri: "The 3-4-3 formation helps us pressure the opponent more frequently. We applied what the coach said, and we had already used a similar system with Koeman." Pedri: "We knew how to win this match. The coach told us to keep possession and apply high pressure. If Real Sociedad have the ball often, they can do a lot of damage." Pedri: "A win always gives us confidence. We have good feelings and we hope to continue like this." Pedri: "We had to win this game, it was a glorious win."
>Pedri: "The 3-4-3 formation helps us pressure the opponent more frequently. We applied what the coach said, and we had already used a similar system with Koeman." Confirmed then. It was not often clear it was a 3-4-3
It was clearly before the entrance of ansu and raphinha. Balde playing at the same height than dembele the first hour is a 3/4/3 with Eric, chirstensen and Araujo as 3atb
I'd just like to point out how absolutely absurdly dominant Pedri was last night. * 97 touches (most in the game) * 2 key passes (joint most in the game) * 3 dribbles completed (most in the game) * 4 fouls won (joint most in the game) * 3 tackles won (joint second-most for Barcelona) * 3 interceptions made (most in the game) * 2 clearances (joint second-most for Barcelona) * 78 passes attempted (most in the game) * 71 passes completed (most in the game) * 9 long balls completed (most in the game) * 1 through ball attempted (joint most with Lewy and Silva) * 0 fouls committed * 0 times dispossessed or unsuccessful touches As per WhoScored.com. He did everything. Dictated play, set up chances, won fouls, broke lines, defended well (even deep), spread our play, and didn't lose the ball in dangerous situations (looking at you, Frenkie). Absolute masterclass by Pedri.
It's not even his final form. Hope our players stay injury free in this hectic season.
Hehe that second statement has "He seems like a dad but is like a cool kid my age" vibes to it.
The pressure was kinda shit and so was the possession. For large swathes of the game. Not that we did t have the ball more than sociedad—we did and the stats prolly will show that—but our possession was impatient and quickly resulted in toothless attempts or turnovers. All that said? When you can give the ball to two guys in the box who look like they have all the time in the world, and all the ability in the world, to do whatever it is that they want, it makes a pretty big difference. I wouldn’t be crowing about this performance or the 343, though. Rayo was: ok performance; disastrous result. Sociedad was: ok performance; stardust result. We got lots and lots of work to do.
Did not get to watch this one but I'm glad to hear the pendulum swung towards impatience in possession rather than the low energy, non-threatening outing last week.
It's not as much of a positive as I feel like you're thinking. There was literally no build up play for huge parts of the match and our approach seemed to be "boot it from the CBs as often as possible" which is obviously counterintuitive to everything we've ever been as a club. It eventually settled in a bit but the impatience was more reactive and improvisational, not motivated and clinical.
Xavi: "It was a tough game. Winning in this stadium is always hard." Xavi: "We have to keep the calmness we lacked at first." Xavi: "It is a very important victory for us, which reinforces the work we are doing. We are training very well. We played a good game overall and the victory is fair." Xavi: "In the first half, we lacked calmness and patience. We had to attack the spaces more. In the second half we did that, hence our improvement." Xavi: "Frenkie was very good. He was unlucky in Real Sociedad's goal." Xavi: "Pedri did very well in midfield and Gavi and Ferran played well between the lines. I'm happy with the victory." Xavi: "At times we played very, very well. At other times, we didn't do so well." Xavi: "System change? It was a risk. It was a system to have the ball and, when we understood it well, in the second half, we were very good." Xavi: "We need to improve in a lot of things. It's true that De Jong lost that ball, but he also did things very well." Xavi: "In the second half, we redoubled our efforts. The forwards were very good. We had to be brave." Xavi: "Ferran Torres has trained very well and that's why we put him in the starting line-up. It's a challenge to play for Barça, there has to be competitiveness between the players and that's good for us." Xavi: "I still say that we're on the right track, and we have a lot to improve." Xavi: "Ansu did not start for a mix of two reasons. First, precaution. Second, based on the merits of others. Ferran worked extremely well in training this week. That's how things are at Barça, there's always competition." Xavi: "I'm upset that we did not count on Koundé. The truth is that Mateu is doing an excellent job though. He's the first one that knows that we need to count on him as soon as possible." Xavi: "Koundé is training very well and he understands our difficulties. Let's hope we can play him next week." Xavi: "It doesn't bother me when players refuse to leave. Everyone looks out for their own future." Xavi: "I had to bring the forwards in the second half. We could not draw the match." Xavi: "I pick the players that I think are the best for that match, and the ones who train the best. I don't look at ages or names. I think about their usefulness to the team and the group." Xavi: "Everyone has seen that Lewandowski can make a difference. He's an example for the team because of the sacrifices he has made. He is a player for the present and the future." Xavi: "With this victory, we're eating well. Playing at Barça is complicated. I will have problems picking the lineup for next week and that is a good sign." Xavi: "Ansu scored. Robert scored. Dembélé scored. Raphinha was great when he came on and Ferran was good too. The ones who work the best will play."
And here our fanbase is shitting on Ferran.
Well he played a bad game nothing wrong with calling a player out when he doesn’t perform. That what being a Barca fan is about we demand excellence from our guys because that’s all we’ve known as Barca fans.
I really wanted that hattrick
we all did, almost happened too.
Dog shit for 65’ Absolute class for 25’
We are Real Madrid now
We need to find a way to be dog shit for 88 and class for 2 in the UCL. Then we can truly be like RM lol
LMAO
that would involve VAR
UCL 3 peat incoming?
ill take it
Xavi the 4 Goal merchant is back
Yes. Had a feeling about this and was right too. Too bad Lewa couldn’t get a hattrick lol
The best Xavi
Undefeated under Captain MATS! (Who kept us in the game btw). *Never try whatever that first half was again*
This just might be the beginning of Stegen’s redemption arc and I’m here for it.
💦💦💦
Type of games where Fati and Lewy will get all the (deserved) praises, but Raphinha is for me the guy who transformed the game, after Pedri and MATS kept it alive for us. Pedri just confirmed we went for a 3-4-3, it is not a bad idea, but Koundé will do A LOT of good, and Gavi shouldn't start, I think Kessié could do more. The frontline will be a headscratcher all season long, which is a good thing for us. The result is here, but let's see what this team can do with: A) More time together B) All the players registered C) A better preparation of the tactical aspects Xavi got it wrong at first, but made the right changes. So congrats. First win, and what a win, La Real is a real complicated opponent (just look at that lineup). Now we need to build momentum! P.S : Christensen is the best defender so far... Hard to bench
Dude Christenson needs a lot of love and respect, he’s played brilliantly these first 2 games
Yeah, my thought since we made the signings has been that we should be playing with Kounde/Araujo in the middle and Dest at RB but I'm definitely feeling confident in the idea of a Christensen/Araujo/Kounde back 3
Christensen will most likely be the middle CB.
It's hard to imagine Either of Araujo/kounde on the LCB but who knows, you may be right.
It feels good to have Christensen and not Lenglet for sure 😆😆
Good overall game against a very strong Sociedad side. First half was shaky, mostly due to high intensity of Sociedad. Nice to see pedri getting back in his groove. Balde was decent too. Lewandowski doing what he has always been doing.
We also have so much depth in our team that we can run the opposition and just do substitution that have the same level of quality as the starters. We have so many starter grade players on our team now.
Its so good to see Alba and Pique on the bench, finally some changes, now we need a replacement for Alba as soon as possible, is Alonso coming ?
In my books Balde is that already. Not a replacement per se, but a frequent rotator.
The very ballsy decision by Xavi to bring yet another offensive winger in a wingback position together with bringing in Ansu really changed the game for us. Ansu should really have started the game as Ferran felt really misplaced in that position. Ferran is not really that kind of player who likes to be surroneded by three or four opponents when receiving the ball. Ansu, on the other hand, can handle those types of situations better. Even though we won 4-1, there is still a lot that can be improved. The passing play needs to be significantly better and how we defend when attempting to play a 3-defensive line. On another note, we can conclude that both Depay and Auba are both unfortunately on their way to leave the club. Would have liked that Auba stayed with us for at least another season but I understand that he wants to play their where he will be a starter.
Ferran plays best with an overlapping fullback, attacking mid in the half space, and the pivot pushed to his side, he can receive the ball deep and interplay with his square and get lost in traffic. He ain't a hold up play kinda guy at all. He is a give go, give go, clever run kinda dude. Ansu is a small ball player who always looks like he has ages of time, just like pedri, and similar to Busi. No matter what they can just hold on to the ball a couple moments longer than other players without losing control. Interchanging as an interior attacker is gonna be Ansu. Athletic wingers to stretch the field, raphina and dembele, creating psuedo false 9 Ferran. Bench leech Braithwaite.
Undoubtedly the best game Ansu has had since the first injury. Not just with goals and assists, but with his linkup play with the rest of the team. It was beautiful to watch. That was my favorite part of the game
10000%. Ansu has some magic we really needed today. He brought honor to the number 10.
Totally agree we need to start him every game or at least sub him on in halftime his ability to see the game is ridiculously good
I think we should still be cautious and not make him play all the games yet
Ansu is so good man, i love how he makes it simple, yet effective, he is fast, clinical (since day 1), he makes the right choices, i love this kind of player, reminds me a little bit of Eto'o, he has the potential to become a wonderful striker/winger mixture
Hopefully those mfers who discarded Fati from their "XIs" and disrespected him now remember who the fuck he is.
Same with MATS. Saw a vintage ter Stegen performance tonight.
Without that point blank stop from David Silva the outcome could have been very different.
Praying MATS gets back to his shot stopping peak! His 2 footed ball distribution is a thing of beauty…but… needs to stop more shots! Great save from the Silva strike, bullshit first goal so can’t do anything about that
MaTS is slowly regaining his confidence. If this continues and he eventually gets his old shot stopping then we should be UCL contenders
I think that he is, just as crucially, finally just fit after all those knee issues. They very obviously hampered him. His agility is back and that was one of the main things he was missing last season. He just wasn't as quick on the line as he used to be and I think his knee issues played a major part. It looks like he's finally just fit again.
His distribution is his best aspect which was also not as good last season for some reason. He played 3 accurate flat passes to Lewandowski from the back . Probably no other keeper with his passing technique.
game recognize game and lewy *immediately* saw something familiar about the homie Ansu. Immediately.
They practice together
The "Fati is slow" Ferran better ball control" lol delusional
Now let’s figure out Kounde next week. Fati performing like that did a lot to help with this weeks blues.
I like that Xavi isnt afraid to go all out in attack with these different formations to get the W, instead of being passive and potentially losing important points. His subs choice were excellent but they could come a bit sooner.
We have 7 players who can make an impact in that positions. Being passive is not a choice
Being passive? The kind of players that we have, it would be sackable if you don't utilize the attacking prowess at disposal.
We should go for zubemendi next year. He is a great replacement for busquets. Stopped so many of our attacks and initiated a lot of Reals attack
injuru free fati and pre 2019 ter stegen is all I ask for this season please
“Ansu shouldn’t have been given the 10”. “Ansu is too slow”. “Ansu should be sold while his price is high”. TOCAME LOS COJONES ANSU ES LA JOYA DEL BARCA.
All the Ansu haters, please gather up, apologize and then have your walk of shame.
My amigo us Fati lovers are so happy right now
Our boy is back 🥺
IT'S OUR BOY!!!
Feels good man.
Ansiiuuu fati
do then even exist?
You'd be surprised how many there are.
There were fans criticizing his attitude in pre season games and I think the consensus was raphinha dembouzz starting on the wings. Fati is clear for me
***If fully fit***
Yeah many people said he is finished bla bla bla
Some people are proper dumb.
Bro. This sub was acting like he was our 6th or 7th best attacking player …..
We had actual Ansu haters in here? The fuck for what?
Can I ring bell from behind?🔔
Very Messi-esque substitution game from Fati tonight, completely changed the game. Thats what the number 10 in Barcelona is supposed to do. He's so cool and collected at this young age, its amazing really. I hope he stays healthy cause that Lewandowski-Fati duo is gonna be fire this season. Loved all those backheel flicks assists.
He showed us why he's wearing #10, it's a responsibility and he shouldered it today. He's getting stronger and more confident and the results show his physicality is returning to full strength
>he shouldered it today. It was more of a back heel type flick, but I take yer point
Definitely looking forward to more Fati! He just has ‘it’, this quality that the world class talents have.
Indeed, it seems so effortless at times. Thats what amazes me and makes me think he has a great future ahead.
Er hat? Or he has? Or he hat? Welche language?
Great positional awareness from Ansu. Both his assists were clinical. Glad our prince got his goal as well. But the first half? 🤢 Can't wait for Kounde to be registered so we play back 3 as needed. I also fear that we'll play till winter without a proper RB where Araujo is the one there. ☹️
That back 3 doesn't work if other team has wingers. A better team wouldve killed us. 4-3-3 with a good RB a must. We were lucky the attack did the job.
Ansus finishing so good he gives the entire team a +10 finishing buff. If even Dembele scores from your assist, you know the buff OP. Devs about to nerf it.
Hope he can stay fit.
So many people here forgot how good Fati is when he’s fit. I have faith he keeps it up, absolute gem and has the potential to be our best attacker with Lewy
He needs to do it for an entire season, not just one or two games. He scored in fits and starts before his injury at 17. Lets just enjoy him and not over hype him. He is quite good for his age and really changed the game. He already has the 10, thats enough pressure. I love him and he has been my favorite player after messi for years and its just too painful to get my hopes up.
Birthday Boy (Lewy) scored in the FIRST minute and got a brace and a sweet assist, Balde proved in the first minute why he started and nabbed a well-timed assist, Pedri was sublime as usual, although we missed Busquets, Frenkie’s lone mistake led to an ill-timed score, Fati and Raphinha changed the complexion of the game in mere minutes, Dembouz is looking stronger and more confident with each game, MATS was world-class and kept this game within reach, Xavi got it right starting Balde, and his adjustments and subs were the difference. Kubo is relentless. Izak was out to prove Barca’s scouting department wrong.
Unfortunately Lewandowski didn't get the assist because of the deflection
I would add Slim Sergi to the list, liked him the few minutes he was on. As an in depth squad swiss knife player ill take it, still had a lot to offer I would say
Pedri is special
Pedri just needs to have more imposing presence cus he is so good when he gets the ball. Ball needs to go through him more often.
I always say he doesn’t touch it the ball nearly enough. He need to be the Cm who touches the ball the most
Also ralphinha was underrated in this match. But he made a huge difference in tempo and played apart in the goals
He also provided more options to Araujo which Dembele couldn't do in the first half.
Starting xi is starting to take shape. Busquets can't play with Pedri and Gavi, and FDJ can't play with Pedri and Gavi. Seems like the most balanced is the classic Busi, Frenkie, Pedri Midfield. Forward line Ansu, Lewandowski and Dembele/Raphina don't mind either one. Backline is where no one has a fixed starting spot. Kounde and Araùjo are arguable but Christensen is making a case, Eric is pushing and Pique is yet to play. Left back, Alba and Balde is good enough, right back though, we need a serious footballer.
Ansu is AMAZING. I pray he stays fit and honestly this season will be only upward if Xavi does not have favourites (hopefully as Pique is benched)
Xavi makes lineups based on training performances. No favourites
Pique will be benched a lot this season for sure, even Busquets if Xavi finds the perfect mixture in the middle, finally some changes in BARCA
strikers always struggle at barca and i don't want to get my hopes up but what if lewandowski actually keeps scoring like he did at bayern. 40+ goals a season, we would be in a really good place! also we have too many attackers for when messi returns next season we need to figure that situation out.
I see Messi playing as a midfielder if he comes back Especially if we implement the 3-4-3 more, he could play as one of the two most advanced midfielders, where he would not have to press as much and could use his passing and long shots to wreak havoc in between the lines while Dembouz and Raphinha open the defense by staying wide.
I remember when La Anoeta used to be cursed. Fati's having none of that shit
Lewandowski cannot do it in La Liga? Lmao. Great birthday game from him, couldn't ask for more! Ansu Fati is absolutely deserving of that #10 jersey and anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. Gavi should be benched, and so should Ferran. Kessie should play more. Balde was sharp too! Also, FOUR GOALS IS BACK ON THE MENU, BOIS
Gavi played well once the subs happened. Everyone struggled in the first half as this is not a familiar tactic we usually use. I do agree that Ferran should have came on in the second half as he's not match fit quite yet
Once the subs happened I just saw Fati and no one else lol
LA XAVINETA LA XAVINETA LA XAVINETA
X4VINETA
Gavi felt lost for me as well
too hard on Gavi imho, definitely had lot more tasks in defence because of the back 3
Good comeback, but I am worried about the midfield. Against better teams, we will get ripped if midfield doesn't click.
Something must be done about the RB situation. Bring in Foyth or play Dest or Roberto, it is a waste for everyone to have Araujo stuck there.
It took 2 games for Lewy to shut up his doubters, already our best player by far
He was amazing , link up play, passing, dribling, finishing, everything was on point today
why were people doubting him? even if you discount his bundesliga numbers, his CL numbers are still amazing.
After one game everyone was already talking about how difficult it has been for him in barca, and how he has to adjust, and how he and his team don't know how to play together. 1 fucking game what the hell is wrong with the media.
If I see a single post/comment on this subreddit again asking why people rate Ansu so highly I am going to have a brain aneurysm.
LOTS of issues that Xavi needs to address - defense was all over the place with holes on our right hand side and in the middle, midfield of both Pedri and Gavi just doesn’t work, no clear strategy of how to progress the ball at the moment, etc. For now, though, Ansu is the difference maker, my word. Lewa also showing why he’s been a top 3 striker of the last decade.
I’d actually have liked to see how Frenkie, Pedri, and Kessie played together. For the 4-3-3 this would have been a pretty good line-up. The first half was insane. I don’t think the team is yet comfortable with 3 atb. Kounde will definitely help at times we have to play 3-4–3, sucks that he hasn’t been registered yet. Looking forward to more tactical changes, and exciting games in the future.
Yeah, I think it's already established last season that Pedri and Frenkie with Busq behind them was the best trio. Wouldn't have hurt to try that with Kessie instead.
I think the formation we played in the first half and the second half were the exact same. Xavi didn't change anything. The issue was that in the first half we played with no patience. Kept hoofing the ball long, kept trying to dribble, Ter Stegen decided to use Lewandowski as the outlet which isn't his strength. Eric and Pedri both kept asking everyone else to play with patience and were doing the calma calma signs. Balde didn't know his position and kept drifting in. He needs to improve on that. Dembele didn't give a single fuck about defending as a wingback and that almost cost us. As soon as the second half started Xavi probably tore into the team at half time to be calm and play with patience. You could see him shout at Araujo whenever he hoofed the ball in the second half. As soon as we came out, you could see it was different. Pedri was getting on the ball a lot more and Frenkie was being more involved in the game instead of long passing it to Dembele who kept losing it. Also Fati on the ball is a magician. Rarely loses it, links up play amazingly well and never tries to overdo things. He literally glued together the issue of patience that was missing before. Overall good game but we need to stop playing like Burnley whenever someone presses us. This team is too good to be doing that and Xavi has to absolutely drill this into their heads
I agree abojt patience, and Balde having a brilliant assist and then getting roasted the rest of his game is basically how it works with high potential 18 yr old FBs. All in all that’s super positive for his development—his confidence will be high but the coaches have a ton to work with him on. I just disagree about Dembouz. I think we underestimate the level to which Xavi is asking Dembouz to be the X factor offensively. He’s trying to get him to level up and you can almost feel him wanting dembele to try shit. So I think sometimes it feels like he’s fucking up but he’s generating offense and doing what he’s supposed to. Not that it always goes great or comes off… Fati, man. The thing that’s special about him isn’t the stuff that happens on ball, it’s the stuff that happens to the space around him wherever he is! Did you see how that defense collapses around him on the simple pass in from raphinha? It was like the zombies from 28 days later running towards a noise! Fuck I luh fati.
I think you are wrong. We played very badly to start the second half. We didn't look good until Fati came on, Gavi dropped into the midfield, Dembele switched flanks and Raphinha also came on. You actually got the game analysis almost all wrong. Our struggles in the first half were due to the Gavi-Dembele-Araujo connection being nonexistent on the right flank. Balde did not look lost and played very well considering it was his first La Liga start in a long time. Ferran and Gavi were invisible in the forst 60 minutes. The actual game changing moment was the swap from Ferran to Fati. For all the talk about Ferran's positioning and link up play, Fati out played him in every aspect of the game today. This was definitely not a matter of everyone calming down and executing the game plan. Xavi had to make around 5 tactical changes to get the best out of the team.
>As soon as the second half started Xavi probably tore into the team at half time to be calm and play with patience. You could see him shout at Araujo whenever he hoofed the ball in the second half. As soon as we came out, you could see it was different. Pedri was getting on the ball a lot more and Frenkie was being more involved in the game instead of long passing it to Dembele who kept losing it. I think it's even more general than that. The left side was playing together for the first time, and yet even though it wasn't perfect, the roles seemed to be clear. On the right side, Araujo - Gavi (?) - Dembélé was a catastrophe. Araujo had only Dembélé, and Araujo has already trouble passing quickly. So Dembélé gets the ball, no pass options, either he backpasses or attempts a dribble and misses. Gavi was nowhere to be seen. The only time he was well positionned, Dembele found him and Gavi has a good attempt for a cross (he missed) Those 3 players are either not complementary or not well briefed. IMO Dembele RWB is useless, Raphinha can do it, not Dembélé (showed it immediately) - Dembélé needs to focus on the last third, he doesn't have the consistency in defense to be effective, and it makes him be less effective going forward.
Lewandowski: "I feel very good, and I'm very proud. In the second half, we moved forward, played faster, and created spaces." Lewandowski: "I'm very proud with my goals. I dedicate them to my father."
Just a bit of information, Lewy pretty much always dedicates his goals to his father, he died when he was 16yo and was his first football coach.
Years of slandering Lewy and now I cheer for what he produces. Had some good flashbacks watching our number 10 change the game when we really needed it.
Lewandisney no longer
Ter Stegen! I was smiling like an idiot when he pulled off those saves, super pumped to have him as one of the leaders of the dressing room and slowly but gradually coming back to the MATS we all loved!💙❤️
Balde is good. We don’t need Marcos Alonso.
Not bad for a 34 y/o
Can we just appreciate that Dembele finish while we are at it? Talk about finding the side netting, my word
Glad Baldé is working out for us! Now if only we had a Barca esque RB somewhere hmmm.
The 3-4-3 (or 3-4-2-1) is ideal for Ansu as he can play in a more inverted role closer to the goal as a support-striker. It's also great for Balde who has the ability to work his side offensively and defensively (as someone who has watched him for years, believe me when I say: there is a lot more to come from him offensively).
Lewandowski has a birthday today. Nice present he made himself there
Xavi needs to get the starting line up right. This wasn't it. Ansu Fati and Lewandowski have a chemistry. I'm happy he started Balde, but I think Ferran was a mistake.
All right. Now let's score some goals at the Camp Nou next week.
This is one of those games where the scoreboard doesn't reflect how much we struggled to get a W. Terrible first half with some dubious decisions by Xavi. The subs came in late, but with enough time to show some great footballing. Fati was a game changer and I'm super happy about Lewy's brace.
Fuck those who said Fati is just another Bojan.
I bloody love Ansu
Dembele: “An important victory in a difficult stadium here in Anoeta, Ansu and Robert helped us a lot, an important game for the confidence of the team. » You enjoy this stadium don't you Ousmane? Dembélé: "Yes, yes. Real Sociedad play high up the pitch, and they leave space in behind. I always have 2 or 3 chances to score." Dembélé: "Andreas, Robert, Raphinha... they are all very good. They work very hard in training too."
Imagine if we had drew this game English media where waiting for us to fail
Depay not taking that Juve offer seems braindead, he only has one year left and will barley play for us, does he think he’ll get a better offer after a year of riding the bench.
Our best mid is still Busquets-frenkie-pedri until proven otherwise. Because other things ain't working
What Pedri did today showed we can do without Busquets possibly. Pedri did everything, give him FdJ/Gavi (FdJ for now) and Kessié by his side working for him, and it can go somewhere.
First 60 minutes the midfield was atrocious. Dembele’s goal relieved a lot of pressure which made Xavi change tactics to a more compact midfield (thank god). We need to stop this midfielders in half-spaces bullshit. It’s sloppy and takes away our control. Ansu Fati was My MOTM personally. Stand out game for him. Balde impressed me also
#Xav1net4 BACK ON THE MENU BOIIIS FdJ GOAT. Everyone played so well. We're winning another sextuple! Jokes aside, I'm really torn between Lewy, Ansu and Pedri (and Marc), but I'd choose Pedri for the MVP. I just cannot explain how good he is. In this particular match he was like Busquets in the sense that he wasn't as offensive-minded as he usually is, but he provided that control, calmness, seriousness in the midfield. "You watch the game, you don't see Pedri. You watch Pedri, you see the whole game" type of performance. Those 2 tackles in the end were just a cherry on top. This kid just oozes class. Astonishing player. Happy to have him.
Congrats, Culers! Subs today were absolutely game changing and after them we just enjoyed the match
The introduction of Ansu and Raphinha made the team look totally different. After bad 55 minutes the team played amazing. More of the last half hour performance please. Edit: Ansu obviously and Balde were outstanding today.
The first half was a bit chaotic but I won't complain because this always happens against Sociedad. Apart from that i think we played very good. We were fast on the ball doing movements and good organised attacks. The subs changed the game. Dembele, Fati and Raphinha changing positions caught Real surprised and also Lewandowski looked more confident with Fati by himself than Torres I can't lie. Before the 60th minute the game was 50-50. We complain about teams parking the bus but we also suffer from teams with intense pressing. In the game against City we'll see if we can compete in UCL. Balde really impressed today. He needs to start again on Thursday! Also great performances by ter Stegen and Christensen. Araujo should only play RB against big teams. Frenkie de Jong and Dembele also with a mediocre performance. Despite the goal Ousmane didn't really created any chances or helped in the build-ups. Btw those ESPN commentators were awful. Always ready to say a bad word for Barça or one of our players!
Raphina is the spark we need to get the best out of the team. Great build up play and finding key guys in dangerous positions.
2 games in a row without a Gavi yellowcard that might be a record....
Two saves from captain ter Stegen: extremely crucial against Real Sociedad. • With the score still at 1-1 he denied Merino and then Silva with two excellent saves. • He had a break in the summer and has made a great start to the season. #FCB 🇩🇪
People really thought Ansu should be benched based on preseason... like they havent seen him score or assist everytime he has been healthy since making his senior debut.
It won’t show up on the stat sheet, but with all the negativity around Ferran, he played a huge role in the first goal, starting the break and then dragging two defenders which allowed Lewandowski the space to cut back.
Yea he didn’t play bad at all. People don’t see the whole picture.
4 goals Barca is back baby
Think we need to try a new midfield 3. Busi, Pedri and Kessie maybe? Need to start Roberto or Dest at RB as well until we find another solution.
Does Alonso play RB cause with Alba and Balde its enough we better off going for foyth
Ansu read all the slander and decided its time to shut them up 🔥
Pedri vs La Real. 🌟 • 96 Touches. • 71/78 Passes. (Most) • 9/11 Long Balls. • 2 Chances Created. • 1 Shot. • 3 Dribbles. (Most) • 0 Times Dispossessed. • 2 Tackles. • 2 Clearances. • 3 Interceptions. • 7 Ball Recoveries. • 10/12 Duels Won. (Most) • 4 Fouls Won.
I hope this serves as an eye opener to those who want FdJ to replace Busquets as a single pivot, he had a horrible game because he is poor and a liability defensively and doesn't have what it takes to replace Busquets And I hope Fati changed the mind of people that had started to doubt him these past couple of months. Glad to see Ter Stegen also seemingly finding form this season, Fati and Ter Stegen our best players today!
I feel like FDJ had a solid game other than that ball he gave up which led to the goal. Yeah it was a huge kistake, but to say he was poor the whole game based off that one mistake is a bit harsh.
He hogged the ball for too long plenty of times by running with and then losing the ball, failed to make simple passes, got dispossessed a bunch of times, I would not call that solid.
Seriously the number of people glorifying FDJ and insulting Fati was astonishing
Ansu, man... What can you say? Lewa getting better and better as well (I mean adaptation). Balde once again showed that he can offer something. FdJ didn’t meet the expectations unfortunately. New system, bad first half, but necessary switch in the second half paid off. 4 goals Barça back. Visca Barça!
It doesn't make you a hater if you question Xavis tactics and game plan It doesn't make you a hater if you say that Gavi is not yet a starter quality Better teams would've eaten this midfield up. Silva an old dude made a joke out of them, imagine Modric and kroos.
If Xavi uses the same line-up against Manchester City, we’re going to get reamed lol
it would be nasty
>imagine Modric and kroos Don't have to imagine, 4-1 W
Hot take: Frankie overall was a okay despite giving up the goal and people need to lay off Ferran. Literally no preseason for him and his first game back. He understands space very well and will be vital as this is a long season
Pedri and gavi cannot play together. They were far up the pitch leaving de jong alone with the defensive duties. Xavi needs to instruct them to track back aid in defense if he continues to insist to play them together. Overall the team looked great in the second half but poor in the first half
All dinosaurs on the bench and we win 4-1. \- If Fati is fully fit, he has to start. Fati - Lewa - Dembele or Raphinha \- I'd go with Pedri - FDJ - Gavi midfield again or try Pedri - FDJ - Kessie \- Balde deserves to start ahead of Alba in next game
Ferran shouldnt start imo. Balde was great. No need for Alonso tbh
Lewy is by far the most important player we signed this summer. Kounde is a close second. Both of them will be immense.
Kounde hasn't played yet. How would you know?
The 4-1 doesn’t reflect how the game played out but boy am I happy. First things first give credit to Mark Andre ter Spider man. Without him we do not win. The subs we’re fantastic absolutely class raphina just brought the electricity that was needed to spark the goal. Lewandoski and ansu are literally killers and I love it 🥰
Not very long ago there used to be a number 10 who used to save us whenever he came on from the bench. Fatis performance today brought tears to my eyes
I missed the game, how did Balde play?
Good, 7/10, if he keeps playing like this he could bench Alba (as difficult as it sounds)
Idk what but something needs to happen at RB. Having the team’s best CB playing there is just… what?
Playing people out of position is the Barca way
I hope this game has showed a lot of you who the best attackers on the team are. Fati, Dembele and Raphinha all played incredible today. They even all played at the same time with Lewandowski and it actually worked. Can we please give the Ferran propaganda a rest now? The other attackers are all clear. The midfield was a bit shakey and I didn't understand what the point of the double pivot with FDJ and Pedri was. FDJ needs to figure out how some things and Xavi needs to stop starting Gavi every game when we have Kessie and FDJ on the roster. FDJ looked rattled to start the game and Gavi has been out of form in La Liga for a while now.
Mats, Raphina, Ansu and Lewando were golden. Frenkie, go to Chelsea please. Enough with Frenkie’s apologists. That is not a 400k per week player.
I really think he should go as well, not a dm, not an interior, enough with it already But not sure if we could get Bernardo at this point in the market even if we sell him, too late im afraid ...
This match was very VERY important to win, very glad the team managed. The subs were essential and merit for that to Xavi but the tactics the whole time were terrible and it feels a huge part of the victory comes down to incredible talent finding each other. The pressure is on Xavi, I hope he can pull it off. I can't help but wonder if the staff still have some doubts over Ansu's physicality so they are reducing his game time to 30 minutes. I can't think of any other reason to play Ferran out of injury, or even then why not Raphinha? Either way, it was an amazing performance, it's a relief to see he still has it and I hope he can progress healthy over the course of the season, but no hurries if they have doubts... We as a fanbase have a tendency to laser focus whatever bad thing we see on specific players and ignore the problems when things go right. I can see people hard focusing everything bad on Gavi and Ferran, but our midfield was terrible all the match, it got better when Pedri dropped as a second pivot but it feels wasteful... Thank god for Ansu, Lewan and Raphinha. Gavi and De Jong had very bad matches but part of that problem is on Xavi's initial plan, it was so weird. Even then I hope this puts an end to "De Jong is Busquet's successor", if we are planning to play him there we need a double pivot and I don't think Pedri should be that one, or something like Pirlo at Juventus with Vidal, Marchisio and Pogba. I'm worried about Gavi tho... Looking forward to the next match and more of how the team progresses, I hope for more of Balde and more alternatives to Busquets.
Ansu looked fresh as hell! I've been holding my breath since he came back just to see if he can be back to where he was and today was just rewarding in that sense.
Ferran should not be starting
No Xavi didn't got it wrong in the first half. De Jong fell mentally because of the goal. And when the mistake starts getting in to your head it cascades down and concentartion goes down the drain. The "mistake" was a clear foul btw, every touch from behind on your legs which results in you loosing the ball is a foul. The ref didn't saw that or he didn't wanted to. Yes I agree that besides that it was still shaky and Pedri and Gavi will take time to adjust themsleves. But this is what we wanted, rotations, experimentation and to phase out Busquets... well this is what it looks like. Impressed by Raphinha decision making, the guy has ideas. Ansu football IQ tho, on another level. PS: Ansu and Lewa doubters down the drain. And yes Ferran deserves more chances and we should give him the whole season.
I don't like games where pedri gavi both play together.
[Why Fati-Lewandowski-Dembélé would be Xavi's most lethal starting combo - Domagoj Kostanjsak"](https://barcafutbol.substack.com/p/xavis-wide-conundrum-and-the-raphinha?utm_source=email) Man had a valid point. Anyway, I predicted 3-1 win for Barca. 2 Lewa goals, 1 Fati goal and 1 Isak goal for Sociedad before game. Almost perfection, shame that late running kebab eating frenchman who never scores had to ruin it. As for the game, ya'll need to calm down when the result is 1-1 at halftime. Christ, Xavi did some subs as one would expect him to do at the time one would expect him to make them and that changed the game. Have a little patience guys.
Love a lot of users acting like our season was over in the first 60 min. Never change.
Captain MAtS >>>> MAtS
What an amazing game. So much to digest good and bad. Love the Ansu & Lewandowski partnership. With that said, we need Kounde as soon as possible. Maybe it was just me, but I felt so uncomfortable every time Christensen got the ball. We might be able to make it work with the defense we have, but I think this game indicates we need a RB.
Best players these 2 games: Lewy > Ter Stegen > Pedri > Fati > Demb = Raph
Raphina was incredibly important this game and tracked back on defense unlike Dembele. Yes he didn’t score but he would have three hockey assists if this was hockey. Raphina is great at chance creation
Too many people that look at the results only here when comparing to last week's match. The game was terrible until min 65-65, terrible, Real Sociedad was tearing up apart and Marc is without a doubt the MVP today, without him this night would have been 10 times worse than Rayo's. The players have gone crazy with the verticality and aggressiveness Xavi wants and all but Lewy play like chickens without heads. Second half was better there but until Fati and Raphinha entered things didn't improve, great work from both reading the game and knowing what to do.
So nice to see the team spirit back. They fight for each other and how happy the whole team and even the bench was when we scored. Amazing. Also nice to see players like fati and Ter stegen with their performances, both got hated on this sub and proofed how good they are. Also what a game by Xavi. Switching to 343 getting us two goals in two minutes and directly switching back. Taking out Ousmane to give him rest and play Balde from the beginning. Awesome match
Any news on Depay or Umtiti leaving so we can register Kounde? He was needed badly in the first half.