Barcelona’s droop in type can solely be defined by the crew’s fatigue, each in a psychological and a sporting sense, and the spotlights thus activate Hansi Flick.
The supervisor’s system is immensely demanding from the gamers’ perspective however supplies a deadly benefit when the XI is recent and dedicated. The massive problem, nevertheless, is making certain the suitable rotation to present each participant the required relaxation.
Final night time, Flick gave Robert Lewandowski a much-needed break, sticking on the identical strains. He performed Ferran Torres within the Polish star’s place and the ‘shark’ scored Barcelona’s opener towards Mallorca.
The following best-placed alternative, Pau Victor, got here on as a late substitute and in addition racked up one objective and one help to stake declare on extra common minutes. So, who ought to Flick’s most well-liked backup striker be?
Torres: Dynamic however unreliable
Ferran Torres is definitely the extra established of the 2 choices at Flick’s disposal and it’s thus not a shock that the supervisor most well-liked him to start out towards Mallorca.
The Spaniard, in actual fact, did effectively to get into scoring positions along with his runs behind the defence and link-up play with Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal.
Ferran scored towards Mallorca. (Photograph by Alex Caparros/Getty Photographs)
Nevertheless, his first contact typically let him down and noticed a number of possibilities go begging whereas different alternatives have been scuffed by his poor ending intuition.
Torres thus supplies the supervisor with an fascinating profile. He’s a play who can explode to life in areas and supply dynamic buildup.
The actual fact stays, nevertheless, that he’s a winger and never a striker and that his knack to seek out the again of the web is poor.
Pau Victor: Younger, however direct
What Pau Victor provided after coming off the bench was very totally different from Torres’ profile, and actually, was far nearer to the Robert Lewandowski function Flick required.
Not like the Spaniard who naturally dropped deeper and seemed to contribute within the buildup. Victor provided extra directness and attacked areas in Mallorca’s field.
As a pure quantity 9 with a very good spatial understanding, the teenager discovered good runs behind the defence and pushed ahead to assault the objective at any time when attainable. Additional, he transformed all the possibilities he received, not like Torres who allow them to slip away.
To this point this season, Victor has averaged a objective each 81 minutes in La Liga – a ratio that’s higher than Robert Lewandowski’s, who has netted as soon as each 84 minutes within the competitors.
In the meantime, Ferran’s two targets in La Liga have are available 435 minutes, which means a objective each 218 minutes.
Conclusion
Given each gamers’ profiles and what they confirmed final night time at Son Moix, Pau Victor would seem like the better-placed alternative when the supervisor needs to relaxation Robert Lewandowski.
In spite of everything, the crew requires an out-and-out goalscorer within the Polish star’s absence and the flexibility to take all the possibilities created.
Torres, in the meantime, would go well with higher as a backup winger when the target is to rotate both Raphinha or Lamine Yamal.