Three talking points ahead of Osasuna vs Barcelona | La Liga

With two wins and a draw in the bag from their opening three fixtures, Barcelona sit alongside the likes of Atletico Madrid, Girona, and Cadiz on seven points in La Liga.

A win on Matchday four would help them continue their journey up the leaderboard. Yet, it will be far from easy as they take on Jagoba Arrasate’s Osasuna away from home.

It will be a night of returns for Barcelona at El Sadar as they welcome Raphinha back into the squad after serving his two-game suspension.

Furthermore, manager Xavi Hernandez will be back on the sidelines to personally oversee the game after serving his own two-match touchline ban.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Osasuna vs Barcelona on Sunday night.

Menace down both flanks

The importance of full-backs in the modern game cannot be understated. With wingers occupying more central roles, especially in Xavi Hernandez’s system at Barcelona, the full-backs serve as key forces in the final third.

While the attacking output is critical for any full-back, one must not forget their primary responsibility of closing down the flanks defensively. Notably, it was on that tactical aspect that the Catalans suffered at the hands of Villarreal last weekend.

With Alejandro Balde and Ronald Araujo injured, Xavi opted to start Marcos Alonso and Sergi Roberto at left and right-back respectively. Both players struggled with the defensive aspect of the game, leading to the Yellow Submarines putting three goals past them.

Ahead of the Blaugranas’ fourth league game of the season, the manager has his best options at his disposal.

For starters, Balde is expected to return to the starting lineup after recovering from his discomfort. The youngster has been a dynamite on the left wing for Barcelona and is also growing into a reliable asset defensively with every passing day.

At right-back, one can expect deadline-day signing Joao Cancelo to make his first start. The Portuguese star is the end product of Barcelona’s long…

Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/three-talking-points-ahead-of-osasuna-vs-barcelona-la-liga/

Author : Adithya Eshwarla

Publish date : 2023-09-02 18:16:54

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