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Barcelona couldn’t have hoped for a greater strategy to finish the league stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Whereas Hansi Flick’s males did drop two factors in opposition to Atalanta final evening, they completed second within the standings and had been solely marginally behind Liverpool who misplaced in opposition to PSV. Had the Catalans taken three factors in opposition to Atalanta, they might be sole leaders.
The dressing room is not going to learn an excessive amount of into the second-placed end, particularly given the dominant method through which they got here again from the defeat to AS Monaco on match-day 1.
The blazing assault
Barcelona’s success up to now within the Champions League is certainly all the way down to improved performances throughout the park. The forwards, nevertheless, benefit essentially the most credit score and the crew’s purpose distinction speaks volumes.
Flick’s males ended the league stage with a surprising 28 targets scored, six targets forward of the following highest-scoring crew Borussia Dortmund.
Their distinctive attacking efficiency was second to none as they took house large wins in opposition to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha significantly stepping up in blazing kind.
The highest-scorer of the league stage. (Picture by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Photographs)
The Polish striker completed the league stage as the highest scorer with 9 targets to his title, and Raphinha adopted carefully with eight scalps.
By way of assists, the Brazilian was up there as soon as once more with 4 to his title, solely surpassed by Charles De Ketetaere who had 5. He scored a hat-trick in opposition to Bayern Munich, a brace in opposition to Benfica and racked up two assists final evening vs Atalanta.
After 5 years of back-to-back humiliations in Europe, Barcelona are lastly again as one of many favourites within the occasion and this might effectively be their yr.
The trail to the trophy, nevertheless, might be something however easy from right here on, and the supervisor will want his forwards to be in high form within the knockouts. The precedence, nevertheless, might be to repair the defence.
