While the Barcelona victory over Porto brought forth many joys, it also had many despairs. The 1-0 in itself was a hard-fought victory that could have gone either way and the Barca players truly had to struggle for it up until the very last whistle that came about in stoppage time.
With Oriol Romeu having given a less-than-pleasing performance, and Robert Lewandowski potentially having been injured for a significant amount of time, not everything was all sunshine and rainbows for La Blaugrana. Moreover, there is also the case of Gavi to take into account.
Back in the limelight
The 19-year-old has already cemented himself as one of the protagonists of the team. Originally struggling to get minutes in a midfield that consisted of Pedri, Gundogan, Frenkie De Jong, and Romeu, Gavi has since taken advantage of recent injuries to his teammates and truly has performed in their absence.
Impressive qualities and not-so-impressive ones
Undoubtedly the most active and relentless Barcelona player on the field, Gavi emits determination. His contributions often uplift his teammates and he also possesses the traits of a proper leader. However, with his aggression there also came significant risks, ones that were apparent against Porto.
As highlighted by Spanish outlet SPORT, Gavi becomes too reckless at times. His game against Porto ended with him getting expelled for an unnecessary challenge. Booked a second time for a shirt pulling, Gavi saw himself come off the field during stoppage time.
Frequent yellow cards
In the ten games that he has played this season, Gavi has already received four yellow cards. This number is higher than any other Barcelona player and it has become a trend of sorts.
Not the first time
Last season, Gavi accumulated fifteen yellow cards. While there were no expulsions or red cards, the youngster did end up missing games due to the accumulations. One of the most important matches that he ended up missing was the second leg of the Europa League clash against Manchester United.
In the season before, he once again accumulated exactly fifteen yellow cards. Despite only having been his debut season, the youngster was already showing signs of recklessness. That season, he ended up missing an integral clash against Galatasaray but Barcelona, fortunately, managed to emerge victorious even without him.
Xavi’s hesitance
This situation regarding his frequent warnings is not unknown to Xavi Hernandez. The coach will now see him play the upcoming Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk without the Golden Boy winner but is aware of his importance.
However, SPORT states that Xavi’s strictness towards Gavi’s frequent bookings is also slightly justified. It is hard to change the youngster’s character and that is maybe for the better, as it potentially could hinder him from giving a level of aggression that makes him equally as good and difficult to play against.
