Barcelona cruised to their first win of the 2022/23 La Liga season as they thrashed Real Sociedad 4-1 away at the Reale Arena on Sunday night.
Robert Lewandowski put Barça ahead less than a minute into the game following some good work down the left side by youngster Alejandro Balde. However, Sociedad managed to pull the goal back through Alexander Isak only five minutes later.
For the next hour or so, both teams pushed and probed without any luck, until Ansu Fati’s introduction turned the tide in favour of Barcelona. The teenage prodigy produced a fine backheel to set Ousmane Dembele up, who made it 2-1 in the 66th minute.
Two minutes later, Fati was involved again as he set Lewandowski up for a simple tap-in that put the game to bed and guaranteed three points for the Blaugrana. Finally, Barcelona’s No. 10 himself got on the scoresheet to add more sheen to the scoreline and make it 4-1.
It was a strong performance from Barça after the opening day draw against Rayo Vallecano, and manager Xavi Hernandez was left pleased with the outcome of the game.
“It was a tough game. Winning in this stadium is always hard. It is a very important victory for us, which reinforces the work we are doing. We are training very well. We played a good game overall and the victory is fair,” he said.
“In the first half, we lacked calmness and patience. We had to attack the spaces more. In the second half we did that, hence our improvement,” the Barcelona manager added.
Talking about individual performances, Xavi praised Frenkie de Jong, who was brought back into the starting XI, while he also had words of praise for Ferran Torres and Gavi.
“Frenkie was very good. He was unlucky in Real Sociedad’s goal. Pedri played very well in midfield, so did Gavi and Ferran between the lines. In general, I am happy with the victory,” Xavi added.
The manager then went on to explain the change in tactics made by Barcelona as they lined up in a formation with three defenders at the back, saying:
“The change of system was to adapt to Real Sociedad. They played with two strikers, and we needed to have one defender left. It was a risk, sure. But we saw how good it can be when the players understand the system, like they did in the second half.”
While the win was a step in the right direction, Barcelona had to again play without their new defensive signing Jules Kounde, who is yet to be registered by the club. Talking about the Frenchman’s situation, Xavi said:
“I’m upset that we did not count on Kounde. The truth is that Mateu is doing an excellent job though. He’s the first one that knows that we need to count on him as soon as possible. Kounde is training very well and he understands our difficulties. Let’s hope we can play him next week.”
Barcelona need some of their out-of-favour players to leave so that they can register Kounde. But stars like Martin Braithwaite and Sergino Dest are unwilling to depart, which had led to reports that Xavi had grown annoyed with some of the players in the squad.
Addressing the same, the Barça legend said: “It doesn’t bother me when players refuse to leave. Everyone looks out for their own future.”
Talking about the double change he made to introduce Ansu Fati and Raphinha in the second half, Xavi explained: “I had to bring the forwards in the second half. We could not draw the match.”
The manager also shed light on his decision to not start Ansu on the night, saying: “Ansu did not start for a mix of two reasons. First, precaution. Second, based on the merits of others. Ferran worked extremely well in training this week. That’s how things are at Barça, there’s always competition.”
Xavi also made some other notable changes, such as starting Alejandro Balde ahead of Jordi Alba and handing de Jong a start. Explaining his team selection, the manager said:
“I pick the players that I think are the best for that match, and the ones who train the best. I don’t look at ages or names. I think about their usefulness to the team and the group.”
Talking about Lewandowski, who scored his first two goals for the club on the night, he said: “Everyone has seen that Lewandowski can make a difference. He’s an example for the team because of the sacrifices he has made. He is a player for the present and the future.”
Xavi also admitted that picking the team for the next game will not be easy, but that is expected with a team of Barcelona’s stature.
“Ansu scored. Robert scored. Dembélé scored. Raphinha was great when he came on and Ferran was good too. The ones who work the best will play,” he claimed.
“With this victory, we’re feeling well. Playing at Barça is complicated. I will have problems picking the lineup for next week and that is a good sign.”
Source: BarçaTV+
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