Sergi Escudero
Barcelona, 16 Feb. The board of directors of Xavi Hernández surprised in the first leg of the round of 16 against Manchester United (2-2) with the variation of the members of the left part of the defense, giving entry to the author of the 1- 0, Marcos Alonso, as a left-footed centre-back and a Jordi Alba as a winger who repeatedly presented danger in the first half.
The defeat of Dembélé pushes Xavi to establish the 4-4-2 with an attack with only one winger: Raphinha starting from the right. But this Thursday, the asymmetry gave more power to the left wing, which was left completely free for Jordi Alba to run as he pleased against the disoriented Aaron Wan-Bisaka. Marcos Alonso took over the goalkeeper role.
In fact, Barcelona’s two best scoring chances in the first half came from Hospitalet de Llobregat’s boots. In the first, the left winger came to the aid of Robert Lewandowski at the entrance to the surface. It was minute 9 and the Polish striker came up against David de Gea.
And, in the 37th minute, Jordi Alba stole a ball as Manchester United gave away the ball due to Wan-Bisaka’s inaction and again the Spanish keeper had to intervene. This time, to avoid his former teammate’s goal.
Meanwhile, in the first half, hardly any news came from the right wing. Raphinha has been frustrated once again in his attempts to overwhelm the England defence, a far cry from the level of hope he showed in the 3-0 win over Sevilla in the last match played at Spotify Camp Nou and in which he ended up capturing in the second half against Manchester United.
Precisely when the Brazilian started to raise his voice, it was from a centered position and with a corner kick. Early in the second half he attempted a volley from the edge of the box which went narrow and then put a ball over the head of Marcos Alonso which made it 1-0 and a tribute from the Spanish defender to his recently deceased father.
The essence of Jordi Alba and Marcos Alonso ran out with 25 minutes to go, with Manchester United already slated for the game, and Xavi replaced them with Alejandro Balde and Andreas Christensen, who were due to start.
In addition, the entry of Ansu Fati by Franck Kessié established the 4-3-3. From there, the game went crazy. Raphinha, with a cross from the right wing, would eventually level the game with a cross that was poisoned when Robert Lewandowski failed to hit it and Barcelona could have won in an epic attack.
The sweet moment from both teams disguised this Europa League round of 16 duel into a fanciful Champions League round of 16 and expectations were even exceeded on the pitch with a daring and high quality second half, in which only defensive systems have failed. .
The importance Barça fans attached to the game was seen from the start of the game, when the Camp Nou sang the second verse of “Cant del Barça” a cappella, a fact that only occurs in the prelude to the magical nights.
Moreover, when Maurizio Marianio, the match’s Italian referee, gave the initial whistle, there were few empty seats left in Barca’s stadium despite it being a mid-week match. weekday afternoons. In the end, the attendance was 90,225 spectators, who enjoyed a Champions League spectacle. EFE
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