La Blaugrana gathered 3 more points as they got a nervy 1-0 win over Mallorca. Though Mallorca had their fair share of chances to win the game and the injury-laden Catalan side weren’t at their best as we’ve seen, they defended their lead pretty well to secure the crucial points.
We’ll try to focus on the positive as well as the negative aspects of the Garnet and the blue in yesterday’s showdown:
Lewandowski is crucial:
The Polish marksman upon his arrival from the Bavarian Club has developed into a different player altogether. He links up very well and tries to participate in playmaking as well which helps the team, and when there isn’t particularly a bright spark in the team, can produce moments of magic like he did today, demonstrating why he’s the best in business.
Balde can play at right-back if needed:
Though Balde’s skill set is very limited on the opposite side, he still put in a decent performance as a makeshift right-back. The inversion of the foot creates a tough task for finding the passing channels since they’re not really used to the other side, but the young player really put in a satisfactory display.
Pedri is crucial for creativity:
Pedri’s presence in the center of the park is essential to shake things up as no other player in the midfield has that spark of imagination. Kessie and Gavi are mainly box-to-box midfielders and provide the element of physicality in the middle of the park.
Christensen and Pique are reliable:
There were many doubters if Pique and Christensen can fare well against Vedat Muriqi who is outstanding aerially, and they did very well, except for the two instances where they both got a booking to their names.
Ter Stegen is back at his best:
Ter Stegen has had 6 clean sheets this season in 7 matches along with the highest shots saved rate, and it’s easy to say he put on a stunning display in the away stadium, saving us on a minimum of 3 occasions from conceding.
Jordi Alba does not have the legs anymore:
Mallorca were all over our left defensive side, and a majority of their chances came from the same flank. At this rate, Marcos Alonso might have to start above the Old Guard since he hasn’t looked convincing at all this season. Barcelona next face the Nerazzuri and it’s very necessary they scale up their performance to a high extent otherwise it might be a tough night for all the Camp Nou faithful.
