ANDl Barcelona has ended in Salzburg to its stage in German and Austrian lands, and has done so with defeat, the first of the preseason. The Catalans could not against him RB, a more rolling, more incisive and more accurate team. Those of Koeman, who modified their system, they only have one game left before the start of the season: on Sunday they face the Juventus in the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Koeman I came out with a gala eleven in which two of the homegrown players who have stood out this preseason slipped in: Nico and Gavi. The technician parked the 1-4-3-3, used in the first three friendlies, for a 1-3-5-2 reinforcing the axis of the rear with Frenkie de Jong, that ensures a better output of the ball. The changes were not capricious, the Dutch coach propped up the rear and the medullary against the offensive potential of the Austrian team, much more rolled: he has already played, and won, two games of the Bundesliga and one of the Cup. Among the most dangerous players of the German block Matthias jaissle highlighted Karim Adeyemi, German footballer, 19 years old and trained at Bayern, who has scored four goals at the start of his national competition.
Okafor, falln
The Bara I saw from the first minutes that he was playing the most demanded game of those played so far. The RB Salzburg, that formed in a 1-4-1-3-2, did not yield the leading role of the game to the culs. Supported by 30,000 spectators, his stadium was full, he insisted on playing near Neto’s area, positioning all his lines very high. Okafor he prowled, with danger, the goal area, which on two clear occasions, but missed in front of the goalkeeper to the despair of his teammates and his technician. It will be the young Croatian Sucic, in the 43rd minute, who opened the scoring, after a pass from Adeyemi, with a strong and distant shot, from about 20 meters, with the left that bounced off De Jong. The Austrian team, champion of their country in the 21-22 and leader of their classification, had warned.
The Bara, who found it difficult to approach the vicinity of Mantl, had as offensive balance of the entire first half a shot from Memphis in minute 30: after beating the back of Onguene, your thread goes out; and a chopped ball of Griezmann, in 36 ‘, which went high. Little more.
In the second half, the RB Salzburg, which varied almost his entire eleven – he introduced nine changes after the break -, he continued to lock the Bara. Okafor, that continued on the grass next to Bernede, He had another clear chance as soon as the resumption began. But he also failed: his shot, after leaving De Jong, was very weak. It was definitely not his afternoon. Aaaronson and Guindo they also exposed the culs. The Austrian team did not lower its intensity, pressure or vertical play.
Koeman moved the bench, for the first time, in 63 ‘: they entered Sergi Roberto, Arnau Comas, Balde and Martin Braithwaite. The young lateral woke up a little Bara, with his actions on the left wing. Ten minutes later, the coach continued with the changes. The rhythm of the match dropped just when the Catalan side achieved the tie: a center from the right of Dest bounces first off a RB player Salzburg and finally on the knee of Braithwaite. But the joy did not last long for the culs. At minute 90, Aaronson took advantage of a ball that hit the post after a shot Adamu. First defeat of the preseason. The Bara come home tonight.
Technical sheet of FC RB Salzburg 2 – Barcelona 1:
FC RB Salzburg: Mantl, Ludewir, Onguene, Wber, Ulmer, Bernede, Capaldo, Camara, Sucic, Okafor and Adeyemi. Also playing: Khn, Piatkowski, Adamu, Aaronson, Diambou, Junuzovic, Solet, Guindo, Kristensen, Sesk, Seiwald, Forson and Okoh.
Coach: Matthias Jaissle
FC Barcelona: Neto, Dest, Araujo, Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Nico, De Jong, Gavi, Griezmann and Memphis. Also playing: Sergi Roberto, Arnau Comas, Balde, Martin Braithwaite, Demir, Riqui Puig, Umtiti and Rey Manaj.
Coach: Ronald Koeman.
Goals: 1-0 Sucic 43 ‘, 1-1 Braithwaite (83), 2-1 Aaronson (90’).
referee: Rene Eisner. He showed amazement to Camara (25 ‘), Bernede (47’).
Stadium: Red Bull Arena. 29,520 spectators.