Barcelona tore apart Atletico Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano last night with a performance worth being crowned as the team’s best this season.
Xavi’s men entered the game with several key starters unavailable from Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong to even Joao Cancelo and Andreas Christensen. Yet, they made easy work of Diego Simeone’s side and the scoreline reflects the same.
Joao Felix opened the scoring for the Catalans in the 38th minute of the game before Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead two minutes after the break.
Fermin Lopez put the finishing touches on the result with a stunning header in the 65th minute, killing the game and securing three points.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Atletico Madrid 0-3 Barcelona.
Three answers
How would Xavi line up in attack?
Facing Atletico Madrid, Xavi hoped to capitalise on Joao Felix’s determination to succeed against his parent club. The Portuguese star was thus guaranteed to start, but it was unsure as to which attacker would be rested on the night.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal were the manager’s two options to bench, the former more tempting given the La Masia prodigy’s impact on the team in big games.
Taking a bold decision and prioritising Yamal’s fitness, Xavi ultimately benched the teenage phenom for Felix who started on the left wing. Raphinha moved back to his niche on the right flank, and the move paid dividends.
With the international break looming and Yamal called up to represent La Roja, resting him last night might well be the best decision for a number of reasons.
Could Joao Felix step up once more?
Playing against Atletico Madrid earlier in the season, Felix scored Barcelona’s winner to take three points away from his parent club.
Given that he does not see eye to eye with Simeone, his celebration showed a form of unshackling the player desperately needed.
Trusted with a start amidst his poor run of form last night, Felix once again managed to get onto the…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/three-questions-and-three-answers-from-atletico-madrid-0-3-barcelona/
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2024-03-18 08:16:43
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