الجول موقع الجول ، اهم مباريات اليوم جوال ، نادي الهلال السعودي ، اخبار نادي الاهلي السعودي ، اخبار نادي الاتحاد السعودي ، اخبار نادي النصر السعودي ، موعد مباراة الاهلي ، ملخص مباريات اليوم ، ملخص مباراة ليفربول ، مباراة الاتحاد اليوم ، مباراة النصر اليوم ، اخبار برشلونة ، جدول الدوري الاماراتي ، مباراة الهلال اليوم ، الدوري المصري ، جدول الدوري السعودي ، الدوري السعودي اليوم
Barcelona outlasted Valencia at Mestalla in tiered fashion on Sunday with a 1-4 victory.
Xavi’s team not only dominated the match, but also enjoyed an almost perfect night in front of goal.
It seemed that the match ended and Barca beat it in the first half, but the late return of the host team raised some tension in the visiting camp.
With this victory, the Catalan team occupies fourth place in the Spanish League, four points behind Real Betis and equal with Atletico Madrid.
However, they have a game in hand with the third and fifth placed teams.
Here are five things we learned from Barcelona’s victory over Valencia.
1. Aubameyang still has more
At the time of his signing for Barcelona, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was described as an Arsenal striker.
Although the Gabonese striker enjoyed some of his best days with Arsenal, he was ostracized from the team dynamics during his final months at the club.
Given his long stint in brilliance, many fans questioned Aubameyang’s abilities in front of goal n however, he closed off all his critics with an impeccable performance at Mestalla.
The 32-year-old opened the scoring for Barcelona, later in the first half, timing his run to perfection and scoring Gavi’s pass into goal again.
Aubameyang completed a hat-trick in the second half with a resounding Pedri shot from outside the box that deflected very slightly after hitting the back of the Gabonese.
Although the 19-year-old deserved the goal, the referee decided to award him Aubameyang and helped him complete his first hat-trick in La Liga.
2. Jordi Alba speaking on the field
For several seasons, Jordi Alba’s shares have skyrocketed due to his amazing understanding with Lionel Messi.
The Spanish-Argentine make-up has been the cause of misery for many clubs in Spain.
When Messi’s departure was announced, one wondered what would happen to bring Alba out into the team.
The match against Valencia was a perfect example of how the left-back has modified his role to continue to excel.
Throughout the match, his combination with Ferran Torres and Frenkie de Jong caused problems on Valencia’s right wing.
The trio showed a complete understanding of space and time, thus easily breaking the opponent’s lines.
Barcelona’s opening goal was thanks to a superb finish from Aubameyang. However, it would not have been possible to see Alba, who sent a superb pass over the defense, to find the striker.
3. What can I say about Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele got his first start after the winter transfer window at Mestalla after a difficult appearance at the Camp Nou.
The Frenchman does not have many friends in the fan base after his rebellious stance on renewal at the club.
Xavi, too, was initially reluctant to give minutes to the winger, but soon decided that a player could do more on the field.
At Mestalla, Dembele was the root cause of Valencia’s misery on the right flank.
The youngster made two key passes and completed two dribbles, he also had an assist on Frankie de Jong’s goal and showed tremendous awareness of space and passing in the process.
Dembele has definitely developed as a player at the club. He no longer makes senseless passes or unnecessary dribbles as often as he used to.
Regardless of his contractual or future status, Xavi must continue to rely on the Frenchman for as long as he is a player at the club.
Given the tight schedule ahead, having a player of Dembele’s quality could be the solution to many problems in attack.
4. zer Stegen is still a problem
Near the end of the match, Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved some amazing balls to deny Valencia.
Hugo Doro, in particular, had a bunch of chances at the end of the competition but were thwarted by the German.
However, this does not mean that the goalkeeper gave a perfect match.
In the first half, the goalkeeper looked tense and nervous when he faced the Valencia strikers.
He was unable to handle Jose Gaya’s shot in the 26th minute even though it came from an unnatural position.
The ball landed in the goal, but fortunately it was ruled out due to offside.
His weaknesses were further revealed in the set-pieces that followed, as he preferred to poke the ball away rather than stop it decisively. In the end, Carlos Soler’s header found the net in a shot that could certainly have been saved.
In retrospect, Ter Stegen’s form has been improving over the past few weeks. However, Xavi will have to make sure the trend continues, even if a single goal is scored which could be the impetus for the opponent to believe there is a way back.
5. A persuasive team
From the first minute, Barcelona looked like a team that entered the field to win by pressing high and controlling the pace of the match.
Contrary to the dynamics of previous coaches, every pass to Barcelona feels meaningful now.
The dull side scrolling has been replaced by a dynamic action on the wings.
There is no doubt that the team finally has a direction. The cracks that threatened to expand are now being sealed.
More importantly, Barcelona looked killer in front of goal today, something they’ve been sorely missing for over a year.
With the Napoli clash looming, Xavi’s team will be confident of getting the job done. With a finish like today’s match, the Europa League match could have been buried in the middle of the week. However, the challenge of a game to be won will undoubtedly push the team to play better and bolder football.