FC Barcelona is a club that many players will take great pride in overcoming. While the Catalan giants have many rivals and adversaries who would agree to such a sentiment, there are even those connected to Barça who may think the same.
As it stands, Barcelona and many others within Europe are seen as giants, and many slayers dare to dream. One such slayer is currently playing on loan at Girona.
Despite being contracted to Barcelona, he faced off against the Catalan giants due to no ‘fear’ clause being in place, and put in a proper shift. The player, of course, was none other than Spanish defender Eric Garcia.
As highlighted by SPORT, the 22-year-old Barcelona loanee was quite the performer against his parent club. Crucial in his side’s 4-2 victory over Barça, he demonstrated exactly why he deserves a chance when he inevitably returns. From both defensive and technical perspectives, Garcia was immense.
Statistically, he had 48 touches on the ball across the 90 minutes he played along with additional time. He also made four passes into the final third. Moreover, he successfully provided two accurate long balls out of the three that he attempted.
The Spaniard was also dispossessed a total of zero times throughout the game. Moreover, he made 29 accurate passes out of the 35 that he attempted, resulting in an 83% passing success rate.
Defensively, Garcia committed to four tackles and won all four. Going even further, the 22-year-old Barcelona loanee made seven recoveries, and two interceptions. He also won 4 duels during the game.
On the flip side, there is certainly still a lapse of judgment at times from him. Close calls with both Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha could have ended way differently for him. However, unlike the Garcia seen at Barcelona, he seems much more adaptive now.
Even as he was forced to deal with the different profiles of Joao Felix and Ferran Torres, the Spaniard took his time and nullified both individuals when he was tested. Ultimately, he remains in great form with Girona and hopes to continue it.
The player even spoke after the game about his decision to join Girona. Furthermore, he did suggest that his current side can not become too infected with the idea of always winning:
“When I made the decision, I was looking for a team where I could feel important and showcase my qualities. I didn’t imagine the moment we are enjoying now, but we have to savor it and understand that seasons come with ups and downs.”
Moreover, he talked about the better squad depth in other La Liga giants. Stating that sides like Barcelona will always remain as favorites, he did comment on Girona needing to continue as they are:
“Teams like Barça, Madrid, or Atleti will always be at the top due to their squad, but we have to keep playing our game.”
Barcelona expect Garcia to return after the season concludes. His arrival at the Montjuic Stadium was already expected to be a test of sorts for him, but in reality, the Spaniard has done more than what was expected of him when he first departed on his loan.
