Barcelona continued their good La Liga begin with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Rayo Vallecano — after Dani Olmo’s introduction modified the sport.
Rayo had been in a position to management Barca within the opening interval and the house aspect went forward via Unai Lopez’s end within the ninth minute.
However the steadiness of play shifted after Olmo’s introduction on the break. Barcelona’s €60million (£50.5m; $66.8m at present charges) summer time signing has needed to look ahead to his debut after points together with his registration. When he lastly took to the sector, he led the comeback.
Pedri scored the equaliser and Robert Lewandowski had a objective disallowed, but it surely was Olmo who, within the 83rd minute of the sport, transformed a sensible low end contained in the field to consolidate Barca’s place on the prime of the desk. After three matches, they’re the one group with 9 factors.
Let’s dive into the speaking factors.
Olmo’s dream debut
After all of the frustrations, struggles and turnarounds in getting his registration authorised, Olmo’s profession at Barcelona lastly began with a bang.
Olmo had missed the primary two video games of the season, with Barca unable so as to add him to their squad as they weren’t in compliance with La Liga’s wage restrict — a scenario that left the participant’s camp annoyed. Barca nonetheless have issues in that regard and Olmo solely turned obtainable to play after Andreas Christensen’s newest damage.
The Danish defender has an Achilles downside that La Liga, after receiving a medical report from Barcelona, accepted as a long-term damage. This allowed Barca to benefit from a rule enabling golf equipment to briefly register new gamers within the place of injured ones.
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When January comes round, Olmo will once more be ineligible to play — until Barca discover a strategy to absolutely conform with La Liga’s spending guidelines earlier than then and register him completely. However after final night time’s efficiency, not many followers will care about that for now.
Olmo was merely distinctive. He revitalised an uninspired Barca, combining in mesmerising vogue together with his worldwide team-mates Pedri and Lamine Yamal, earlier than placing the icing on the cake with a late left-footed winner.
Olmo changed an underwhelming Ferran Torres and performed as a No 10, which appears to be the function by which new supervisor Hansi Flick prefers him. Along with his first contact of the ball, he obtained into the field and almost received a penalty. Minutes later, he hit the crossbar with a formidable long-range effort. He touched the ball 39 occasions, accomplished 21 passes with 84 per cent accuracy and made two profitable dribbles.
If there have been any doubts over his signing, this was a debut to place them to mattress.
“When he got here in, you noticed that we had extra management with the ball,” Flick mentioned after the match. “His ball possession is admittedly secure and in entrance of objective, he is aware of the right way to rating. For a midfield participant (that) just isn’t regular, however he is excellent at this.”
Pedri and Yamal stepping up
It’s unattainable to not affiliate Barcelona’s good begin to the season with the contributions of these two younger star gamers.
Pedri accomplished a fast restoration from damage to characteristic instead in Barca’s opening La Liga fixture at Valencia (a 2-1 win) and has not appeared again since. He began final weekend’s 2-1 house victory over Athletic Bilbao and shone in a means he has not for months. On Tuesday night time at Rayo, Flick gave him the reins in midfield, putting him simply in entrance of a positional holding midfielder in Marc Bernal, and once more the 21-year-old unleashed his finest model.
Pedri has made a formidable begin to the brand new marketing campaign (Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press through Getty Pictures)
Pedri controls the timing. He gives the pausa (pause) when Barca’s construction is vulnerable to breaking. However he has additionally been excellent at studying the moments when he can set foot within the opposition’s field.
Pedri scored Barca’s equaliser, ending a counter-attack he began when studying completely the right way to launch a move to Raphinha on the run. He was changed close to the top of the sport having taken a knock however confirmed after the sport he was in good situation.
There once more ought to be reward for Yamal. Now, it’s not simply the affect he has in matches, turning into the most important attacking risk Barcelona have. This season, he’s additionally including numbers into his sport. In three matches, he has scored one objective and assisted 3 times (he supplied the move for Olmo’s winner). His development is heading in the right direction.
Marc Bernal’s nightmare
On an evening this promising, the 17-year-old midfielder put in one other efficiency to recollect, one which confirmed his readiness to take over Barcelona’s holding midfielder function. However an unlucky sort out in stoppage time tore his dream to items.
Marc Bernal suffered a knee damage within the dying minutes of the sport. He left the pitch in tears, helped by backroom workers members. Two hours later, he was leaving the stadium on crutches together with his left knee absolutely bandaged.
“Marc’s damage doesn’t look good,” Flick mentioned. “All of the dressing room was round him after the ultimate whistle. It hurts rather a lot and it’s a unhappy victory for us”.
Bernal is helped off the pitch by Barca workers (Irina R. Hipolito/Europa Press through Getty Pictures)
Extra assessments and scans are anticipated on Wednesday on the membership’s coaching amenities, however dressing room sources concern this may very well be a season-ending downside.
There are a couple of days remaining of the switch window, but it surely seems to be unlikely as of now that Barcelona can attempt to substitute him with a brand new signing given their difficulties with registering new gamers.
“The damage continues to be very current to know the scenario we now have,” Flick mentioned. “However on the finish, we now have many gamers that may carry out as a holding midfielder. After the break, we hope to get well one or two gamers from the damage listing that may assist in that division.”
(Prime picture: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Pictures)