October 22
Espart, opportunities and rest for the stars.. Flick emerges with many gains from the loss of “Princes’ Garden”
Despite losing to Paris Saint-Germain by a score of 4-2 in its first defeat this season, Barcelona, led by Hansi Flick, left the “Parc des Princes” stadium with a group of positive indicators that strengthen its confidence in its ability to continue developing, before the expected test against Real Madrid in El Clásico next Sunday.
The French team excelled throughout the match, but Barcelona, despite the absence of a number of its important players, remained competitive until the last minutes, and even had the opportunity to advance after Xavi Espart scored the first equalizer, before Lamine Yamal brought his team back into the match with a wonderful goal that made the score 2-2 in the 79th minute.
Realizing its need to address its defensive problems, especially the large number of goals it conceded in the Champions League, the Catalan team found reasons for optimism, most notably the brilliance of its goalkeeper, the emergence of a new talent, and the ability to create opportunities against one of the strongest teams in the world, according to what was highlighted by the newspaper “Mundo Deportivo,” which is close to the team.
Juan Garcia gives Barcelona safety
Juan Garcia represents one of the most prominent strengths that Barcelona can rely on in its quest to improve its defensive record, after the goalkeeper gave a remarkable performance against Paris Saint-Germain, and blocked several dangerous opportunities that kept his team in the atmosphere of the match.
Garcia excelled against Ferran Torres in the 24th and 29th minutes, and also blocked attempts from Fabian Ruiz in the 29th minute, and Achraf Hakimi in the 51st minute.
Perhaps the goalkeeper could have done more against Desiree Douai's powerful shot that resulted in the first goal, but he was not responsible for the rest of the four goals, which came via Douai's shot, Lucas's header, Vitinha's shot from outside the area, and then Fabian Ruiz's follow-up from close range in front of the goal.
Xavi Espart turns into a new reality
Xavi Espart, 19 years old, caught the spotlight after proving his ability to compete at the highest levels, during a difficult confrontation against Paris Saint-Germain, and against a dangerous winger the size of Hvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The young full-back showed great calm and confidence, and succeeded in reducing the danger of the Georgian star on several occasions, after the latter nearly scored with a shot that hit the post at the beginning of the confrontation. Ispart also made good defensive interventions against Hakimi and Douai.
His impact was not limited to the defensive side, as he scored a wonderful goal that brought Barcelona back into the match with a score of 1-1. He also created a dangerous opportunity for Rafinha after he made a special start and left the Brazilian striker facing goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, but the latter missed the attempt.
Barcelona excels in possession and passing
Despite its loss to Paris Saint-Germain at home, Barcelona finished the match with a superior possession rate, having possessed the ball at a rate of 52.8% compared to the French team’s 47.2%.
Flick's players also passed the ball 537 times, compared to 481 passes for the home team, an indication of the Catalan team's ability to impose its style during periods of the match.
After the end of the first half with French control, Barcelona started the second half in a better way, and continued its superiority during a large part of it until Lucas’s goal, which made the score 3-2 in the 79th minute.
During that period, Ispart scored, Javi and Rafinha missed two clear chances, while Lamine Yamal scored a wonderful goal that brought the tie back to Barcelona.
Yamal leaves his mark despite the mistakes
Lamine Yamal did not play his best game, but he once again proved his ability to make a difference against major rivals, after scoring a wonderful goal at the Princes Park Stadium.
The player had made a mistake in passing before Paris's first goal, but he was not affected by that, and continued his attempts until he succeeded in scoring the equalizer 2-2 in the 79th minute.
Barcelona did not enjoy the draw for long, as Paris regained its lead after only three minutes, before deciding the confrontation with a score of 4-2.
Opportunities exist...but offensive effectiveness is absent
Barcelona was not unable to threaten Paris Saint-Germain's goal, although goalkeeper Juan Garcia was subjected to much more pressure than his counterpart Safonov.
The Catalan team shot 18 times compared to the French team's 22 shots, but the difference appeared in the accuracy of the attempts. 15 shots for Paris reached the goal, compared to only five for Barcelona.
Fermin Lopez missed a clear opportunity against Safonov in the 40th minute, and Javi did not succeed in taking advantage of another opportunity in the 61st minute. The French goalkeeper also blocked Rafinha's shot from inside the penalty area in the 21st minute.
Rafinha could have scored on two other occasions, but he did not shoot on one of them despite having a decent opportunity in the 18th minute, then sent a shot wide in the 57th minute. He also failed to reach a cross from Fermin in the 44th minute, while Dani Olmo came close to scoring with a powerful, creeping shot in the 14th minute.
These opportunities reveal that Barcelona was able to reach its opponent’s goal, but it lacked the accuracy required to turn its attempts into goals, in contrast to the greater effectiveness shown by Paris.
Flick gives his core elements a chance to rest
The match witnessed decisions by Hansi Flick regarding the distribution of playing minutes, in light of the approaching date of El Clásico against Real Madrid.
Rodri started the match on the bench, before participating in the 60th minute, while Pedri and Rafinha left to rest.
Gabriel Jesus also did not participate in any minute, to remain available for El Clásico if the team needed his services, while Fermin Lopez started the match as a substitute, and did not participate until Dani Olmo was injured, and therefore did not play the full match.
Frenkie de Jong was also not exposed to significant fatigue, although it is not clear whether this is related to his preparation to face Real Madrid.
