A fourth straight win across all competitions was on the cards when Barcelona took on Las Palmas last night in Montjuic. The Catalans brushed past their opponents with relative ease, never really struggling at any point in the game.
The match-winning goal arrived for Xavi’s side after a long period of bonafide dominance through a well-worked Raphinha header. Truth be told, however, the goal was created purely out of Joao Felix’s brilliance.
The win takes Barcelona to 67 points on the league standings and within five points of Real Madrid. Los Blancos take on Athletic Club later this evening, thus giving the Catalans a chance of cutting the deficit.
Barça Universal brings you three questions and three answers from Barcelona 1-0 Las Palmas.
Three answers
Would Xavi rotate his squad?
As club football returned after a two-week hiatus, many were of the opinion that Xavi would look to balance the minutes of the players who were overworked during the international break.
The upcoming UEFA Champions League clash and the rhythm required for the same, however, appears to have coerced Xavi against opting for rotations. After all, the manager all but utilised his strongest XI last night.
The absences of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri in midfield forced Xavi into starting Ilkay Gundogan once more, giving the German captain no respite after the international break. He was joined by Fermin Lopez and Sergi Roberto, both of whom started against Atletico Madrid.
Xavi is not considering rotations at the moment (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
The situation in the final third was the same as the manager opted to start Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski despite both players being overworked.
Could Barcelona keep the momentum going?
After a seemingly endless run of narrow wins and draws, Barcelona were freed from their shackles against Napoli in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
The Catalans showed visible improvement on the night, dominating…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/three-questions-and-three-answers-from-barcelona-1-0-las-palmas/
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2024-03-31 10:18:42
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