Dembele’s show

Barça began to run to the rhythm of Dembélé, who when he enters into ecstasy is an unstoppable footballer who justifies all the praise that is dedicated to him. Against Athletic, the Frenchman led an unstoppable charge that served the Blaugrana team to finish off the Basques 4-0 and confirm the recovery that began against Villarreal. That day, Dembélé was a substitute, but cAgainst the lions, he regained ownership and went out through the big door after scoring a goal, giving three assists and unraveling Athletic with runs.

If there was one thing Xavi was clear about, it was that in order to beat Athletic Club It was mandatory to be at the intensity level of Valverde’s men. For this reason, the Catalan coach had warned in the previous one that he was going to rotate the team in search of the players who were physically the best. Despite the good performance of Ferran, Ansu and Alba against Villarreal, Xavi put Balde, Dembélé on stage and kept De Jong, to escort Busquets, with which Barça he played with four midfielders with pedri playing the role of Iniesta when he was emerging as a false left winger.

Xavi’s changes worked because Barça came out like a storm. The physical display of an impressive Balde and a Dembélé who, after losing two balls erupted dismasted the Basque team in ten minutes of fury. Those who were from 12 to 22.

The gale began in the most unexpected way possible: with a header from Dembélé. The first to score in this way in his six seasons as a Blaugrana and the second of his professional career. The French exchanged roles with Lewandowski and it was the Pole who centered the ball that Ousmane sent into the net.

From there, Dembélé entered a state of grace in which he was unstoppable and six minutes later a ride of his enabled the arrival of Sergi Roberto, also physically imposing, to score the second.

The winger was at the boiling point and broke Yuri again soon after to assist Lewandowski, who in another setback for the center forward schools shot Unai. In ten minutes, Athletic had been left on the canvas.

In addition, the Basques had lost between the second and the third goal to Ander Herrera. In his place came Dani García who shortly after He retired Gavi from the field in a clash that the referee did not consider a fault with a knee to the adductor.

At that moment, the match lost rhythm and the break was reached without further shocks. It remained to be seen if Athletic, as Villarreal did, would accept the result so as not to be more injured, leaving spaces behind them, or if they tried to fight the duel until the last breath. They tried to go for the latter.

Without Gavi, Barça lost fluidity, because Kessie is still not adapting to the rhythm that the team needswho continued to threaten depending on what was going through Dembélé’s head, as soon as he stopped what seemed like a clear counterattack, as he turned a transition into a scoring opportunity through an unexpected acceleration.

Xavi gave up the game at game time when he withdrew three of his pillars from the field: Koundé, Pedri and Lewandowski.

Athletic was clear that it was not their night and Valverde began to reserve players for other occasions while Dembélé followed his own. He on the run and so he assisted Ferran before the coach replaced him with Pablo Torre while the stadium saw him off on his feet.

But as it seems that there can be no complete happiness, Barça finished with ten due to Sergi Roberto’s injury.