Barcelona Defeat Valencia
Asnu Fati managed to assist with a goal and scored another as the dream-like start for the 16-year-old continues in the 5-2 victory by Barcelona against Valencia on Saturday afternoon. Luis Suarez also managed to score two goals for his team, who managed to make his comeback to the squad after a calf injury that occurred at Camp Nou a few weeks ago.
Asnu requires less than 2 minutes to update the scoreboard during his full debut for Barcelona before he allowed Frenkie de Jong to double the score for the home side only 4 minutes after the first goal. Kevin Gameiro managed to score one for Valencia before half time. However, Barcelona managed to extend their lead during the second half of the game. Gegard Pique provided the third goal for Barcelona before Luis Suarez offered two remarkable goals to take the game to 5 goals for Barcelona. This allowed them to move 2 points away from Atletico Madrid who is currently enjoying the top spot in La Liga.
Positives
Asnu is undoubtedly the star of the game between Barcelona and Valencia. After he made his debut against Real Betis, allowing him to become the youngest scorer in the club, the Barcelona manager decided to let him start against Valencia. This phenomenal opportunity didn’t go to his head. Instead, the forward managed to score his second goal for Barcelona and set up a brilliant chance to de Jong, which allowed him to become the youngest players to assist and score in La Liga.
Apart from the goals, he played very maturely and understood everything that is taking place around him. He is well-aware of the decision he needs to make when he is put on the spot, and he merely needs to manage his expectations going forward to maintain his current performance. Suarez’s performance also went down well with the manager and the club. With Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi still injured, Suarez made his return at the perfect moment. This will assist with the upcoming Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund.
Negatives
The overall defence of Barcelona is still a massive concern for both the team and its supporters in La Liga. Barcelona has now managed to concede a total of 7 goals during the first four matches within La Liga. This marks the worst defensive start for Barcelona since the 2000/01 season. While Samuel Umtiti is out for a total of 6 weeks due to injury, the defence tasks fall to Clement Lenglet and Pique until he makes his return.
However, defence seems to be a constant problem for Barcelona in recent years which is probably why the team lost out on the Champions League last season, and why they are currently struggling in the La Liga campaign. Something needs to be done with the defence before Barcelona will reign supreme again in the fierce battle that lies ahead. Do they have a plan to fix this weakness?