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Barcelona’s fifth La Liga game of the season saw them take on the last-placed team in the league- Cadiz. The Catalans were overwhelming favourites on the night but the game showed otherwise.
On the night, Xavi opted to make heavy changes in his starting lineup given the upcoming clash against Bayern Munich. The changes began in defence with Gerard Pique getting his first start of the season alongside Ronald Araujo. Hector Bellerin made his debut at right-back while Balde played at left-back.
In midfield, Pedri was rested for Frenkie de Jong with Gavi and Busquets rounding off the department. Memphis Depay started as the centre-forward, flanked by Raphinha and Ferran Torres to his right and left respectively.
The hosts got off to a strong start and dominated the opening minutes with their high press and quick exchanges. They had a chance as early as the second minute when Sobrino’s shot was blocked by Araujo.
Barcelona regained control of the game by the seventh minute and thus began creating chances of their own. The biggest chance of the first half came in the 10th minute when Gavi did well to find Raphinha in space. The Brazilian took a shot at the near post but hit the woodwork before Ferran’s effort on the rebound went wide.
The next half-hour saw both teams tussle for the ball and create minor chances. It was Xavi’s side that dominated possession but did not have much end product to show.
A flurry of chances came Barcelona’s way in the closing minutes of the half. Depay’s cross in the 46th minute was well saved by Ledesma, and just a minute later, Torres’ effort went a whisker above the crossbar.
Heading into half-time, both teams had failed to score. However, Xavi was clearly the more unhappy of the two managers.
Eventually, the goal for Barcelona came in the 54th minute. Raphinha’s pass to Gavi set the young midfielder free in the Cadiz box. The teenager found Frenkie de Jong with a cut-back and the Dutchman made no mistake in burying the…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/cadiz-0-4-barcelona-match-review/
Author : Udhav Arora
Publish date : 2022-09-10 19:22:11
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