Around the omnipresent figure of Lamine Yamal, Barça built a worthy victory once morest Alavés. The winger was the common thread of a very accurate team once morest Sivera. Not even the red card shown to Victor Roque in a controversial refereeing decision put the Barça victory in danger following the goals from the Brazilian striker himself, Gündogan and Lewandowski. Xavi’s boys acted as snipers in an event that allowed no other result than victory to gain time and confidence at a time when the calendar is benign following the worst January in Barcelona’s history. The punch marked the differences in a therapeutic day for Barça.
1
Sivera, Rafa Marín, Javi López, Nahuel Tenaglia (Ianis Hagi, min. 77), Rubén Duarte, Antonio Blanco (Carlos Benavídez, min. 77), Guridi (Giuliano Simeone, min. 63), Alex Sola, Ander Guevara, Luis Rioja (Abde Rebbach, min. 63) and Samu Omorodion
3
Iñaki Peña, Cancelo (Hector Fort, min. 45), Pau Cubarsí, Koundé, Ronald Araújo, A. Christensen (Íñigo Martínez, min. 82), Frenkie De Jong, Gündogan (Vitor Roque, min. 59), Lamine Yamal, Pedri (Fermín López, min. 74) and Lewandowski
Goals 0-1 min. 22: Lewandowski. 0-2 min. 49: Gündogan. 1-2 min. 50: Samuel Omorodion. 1-3 min. 62: Victor Rock.
Referee Juan Martínez Munuera
Yellow cards Samu Omorodion (min. 11), Vitor Roque (min. 66) and Alex Sola (min. 96)
The end was easier than the beginning for a Barça that from the start continued in the dark, or in a parallel reality, away from day-to-day life, as if it were playing in a League that has nothing to do with the one played by the other teams, without the shadow of the reverential power of Madrid. In each game, the Blaugrana are exposed to conceding a goal as soon as they take a cross, regardless of the scenario, a fate that depends more on the success of the opponent than on Xavi’s lineup. Alavés hovered around the goal during the opening five minutes, not knowing whether to claim a penalty or discuss an offside position, convinced that it was 1-0 upon each arrival at the goal of the always expectant Iñaki Peña.
The rivals bite the back of the Barcelona defense, especially that of Cancelo, just as permeable as the figure of the midfielder, a position that in Mendizorroza fell to a central defender like Christensen and not to a midfielder of the stature of Oriol Romeu or Fermín. Barcelona did not stabilize and Alavés was percussive until De Jong, Pedri and Gündogan came together to chew up the play and enable Lewandowski. The striker, unprecedented in the League since December, let the ball run and hit it over the goalkeeper’s exit following excellent control to score his 14th goal. The game with the ball was as fluid as the actions without the ball to feed were clumsy. the expectations of Alavés.
Barcelona’s defensive concessions do not subside, especially in the continuous losses of the ball by apparently reliable players like De Jong, who caused an excellent opportunity for Guridi, resolved by Peña, a goalkeeper who is excellent in reaction and on the other hand very limited in management. of the play, a facet to which Xavi cannot find a solution even following releasing a centre-back as neat as Pau Cubarsí. For some time now, Barcelona has had a hard time controlling games, not even when they travel with the score in their favor, lacking leadership, always spread out and entrusted to Yamal in the different fields of the championship, also in Mendizorroza.
The Blaugrana do not know how to press and the team relaxes to facilitate the attacks of the rivals, evident in Alavés starting with Álex Sola and Samu. The 0-1 play was as commendable, due to the association and combination of the players, as their disconnections on their field were reprehensible, without Christensen having any impact, just as insubstantial on the divide as in Peña’s area. The formation of up to four centre-backs did not help reduce the shots of a rival who was fighting with determination following stringing together three victories in the League. It was not surprising that Xavi continued to circle the defense at half-time and replaced the permeable Cancelo with Héctor Fort.
The adjustments did not quite work because Rioja gave up a free kick before Samu hit the target with a header following a cross from Sola, also poorly defended by Héctor Fort: 1-2. Barça’s fortune is that they had previously scored 0-2 in a transition well attacked by Yamal and Pedri and ended with a cross shot at the far post by Gündogan, the same player who had been decisive in Lewandowski’s 0-1 lead. Speed worked better than permanent harassment on Luis García’s team. Despite its effectiveness in the opponent’s area, Barça finds it difficult to close the games due to the lack of game management and its fragility on its field, which is soft once morest Peña.
Gündogan’s discomfort allowed the entry of Vitor Roque, decisive once morest Osasuna and once morest Alavés, author of the 1-3 in a crossed kick following an accelerated action by Yamal from the right side and which was finished by Héctor Fort following intervention by De Jong. The Brazilian’s good moment, however, was interrupted by the referee, who sent him off for a very questionable double warning, to the anger of Xavi. The two-goal cushion and the changes finally allowed the Blaugrana to stabilize, who no longer gave Alavés any option. Nobody disputed the victory of a successful, decisive and rejuvenated Barça. The differential player due to his impact on the game was Yamal.