The goals fall non-stop into the Montjuïc goals, unfortunately for Barça. Granada, who had only scored one in the opposite field and are second to last in the table, scored three against Ter Stegen last night, two less than Villarreal gave Iñaki Peña. It is not a question of the goalkeeper, nor of defenders or forwards, nor even of whether a midfielder plays or not, but rather it is a team problem, as the Barcelona fans well know.
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Ter Stegen, Cancelo (Raphinha, min. 75), Koundé, Íñigo Martínez, Pau Cubarsí, A. Christensen (Fermín López, min. 67), Frenkie De Jong, Gündogan, Pedri (Marc Guiu, min. 88), Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal
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Augusto Batalla, Miguel Rubio, Ricard Sánchez, Miquel, Faitout Maouassa, Gumbau (Raúl Torrente, min. 94), Sergio Ruiz, Hongla, Óscar Melendo (Callejón, min. 75), Pellistri (Jozwiak, min. 83) and Myrto Uzuni (Douglas Arezo, min. 83)
Goals 1-0 min. 14: Yamal Lamina. 1-1 min. 43: Richard Sanchez. 1-2 min. 60: Pellistri. 2-2 min. 63: Lewandowski. 2-3 min. 66: Michael. 3-3 min. 80: Yamal Lamina.
Referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias
Yellow cards Sergio Ruiz (min. 33), Hernández Creus (min. 64), Fermín López (min. 77), Miquel (min. 78) and Puertas (min. 83)
The Blaugrana conceded a draw against Granada in a match designed to improve their classification in the League. There is no way for them to stabilize their football, nor for them to beat the Nasrid team, which has four draws and one victory in its last games against Barcelona, a disfigured champion and with no other footballer on the field than Lamine Yamal. It doesn’t matter who plays and who trains Granada, for the misfortune of Barcelona. The effect of the resignation announced by Xavi at the end of the season ended on the third day of the League.
The visit of Granada allowed us to insist on the design premiered in Mendizorroza. The Blaugrana recovered the figure of the center midfielder, a position defended by a recycled center back like Christensen, and have gained a fourth midfielder in exchange for a third forward, limiting the attack to Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski. The novelty was the presence of Iñigo Martínez and Pau Cubarsí and the substitution of Araujo to guarantee a good ball output already reinforced with the reappearance of Ter Stegen. The bet did not work because surprisingly the goalkeeper hesitated a lot, as if he had lost sensitivity with his footwork, and the match was at the mercy of Granada, more intense and aggressive, very well prepared to put pressure on Barça.
Cacique Medina’s team imposed its physical quality, much superior in individual duels, and dwarfed Barcelona, which did not stop running in search of the ball, especially disorganized in its area and with no more unbalancing player in the other’s field than Lamine Yamal. The winger crowned a very good cross to Cancelo’s far post after placing a goal ball that Lewandowski did not reach. Yamal’s goal, however, did not change the script of a match governed by Granada, which ended up tying in a very good tackle by Pellistri on the right side and whose center was finished excellently by Ricard Sánchez to the astonishment of Ter Stegen .
Although the 1-1 score came after Hongla avoided a called goal from Lewandowski, enabled by Pedri in a play naturally guided by Yamal, Granada was a better team than Barça. The blaugrana, always reactive, could not find their place in defense and only attacked when the winger accelerated, the same one who was already the figure against Alavés. The silence in the stadium was overwhelming due to Barcelona’s slow and bland football, which was easy for Granada to counter, who relented in their affront, increasingly closer to their goalkeeper than to Ter Stegen. The Barcelona fans did not know what to do with the leather, too predictable, without spark or capacity for surprise and on the contrary exposed to Granada’s transitions.
Ter Stegen’s face prevented Pellistri’s goal in a textbook counterattack that denounced Barcelona’s poor positioning. Pellistri did not forgive a minute later after a collective concession from the Barcelona defense. He doesn’t know how to retreat or put pressure on Xavi’s team. The offense depends on the electricity of Yamal and the assists (10) of Gündogan, excellent in the touch for Lewandoski’s shot. The tie was short-lived because Ter Stegen conceded again to a header from Ignasi Miquel. Yamal came to the rescue, who crossed an unstoppable low shot from outside the area, after slicing the ball to Callejón in an action highly protested by Granada. The carousel of chances in both goals followed one another in Montjuïc.
Ter Stegen avoided the fourth and Lamine could not achieve victory when even Marc Guiu was already on the field. The match had no remedy due to the fragility of the Blaugrana, taken advantage of by a brave Granada. The people of Montjuïc, converted into a charity house, no longer have the strength to whistle for Barça.