The Catalan kings stepped into the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla having not won against Cadiz in the past four games. This finally came to an end as Xavi’s team saw out Cadiz with a 4-0 win courtesy of the goals from Frenkie de Jong and super subs Robert Lewandoski, Ansu Fati, and Ousmane Dembele.
The Garnet and Blue broke this curse in style despite a blunt first half that saw the Catalans struggle to unlock the defensive low block of Cadiz. They redeemed themselves in the second half with a flawless show. Barca News Network brings you four key points from the 4-0 win against Cadiz.
1. Life is always above football:
When the 81st minute was completed, the match was halted as a result of a health alert in the south end stands of Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla. A 70-year-old fan got a heart attack in the stands. He received emergency treatment from both teams’ medical staff and the resuscitation was positive after a few minutes, and the fan was transferred to the ICU of the nearest local hospital.
In addition, one of the Tribuna camera operators suffered a fainting spell that was also quickly treated by the stadium’s medical staff without any major consequences.
2. Insane squad depth at Xavi’s disposal:
Xavi came into this fixture having done 9 rotations from the Plezn fixture. The team didn’t seem to change or be disrupted by these rotations. They kept on creating chances and pinning the Cadiz team in their own half for most of the game and Barca’s squad superiority was showcased when he brought in Lewandoski, Pedri, Ansu, and Dembele and they actually pulled the trigger to get the job done easily.
3. Frenkie de Jong displayed his quality:
Frenkie de Jong has endured so much criticism from the media and had the toughest summer with links away from the Camp Nou. However, on Saturday, he showed Cules why he should stay. He scored the opening goal of the match and played a huge role in Barca’s second goal scored by Lewandowski. Frenkie is slowly getting it right and he may soon win his place back into the starting eleven.
4. Debuts of the fullbacks:
Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso hadn’t featured for Xavi since being brought in on the final day of the summer transfer window. At Cadiz, Xavi decided to test his new recruits. Bellerin played the whole game and he was good. Faster in transitions, good with the crosses, and never caught out of position that easily.
He isn’t that much of a Barca Right Back but he showed signs of getting there and he will be vital in this squad. Marcos Alonso on the other hand didn’t get much time to showcase his abilities as he came in as a 78th-minute substitute to free Balde from his Left Back role. I guess we’ll see much of him in the coming fixtures.