Xavi tries things and they work out for him

The weekday session closed with a Barça-Villarreal match that coincided with the death of José Manuel Llaneza, one of the pillars on which Villarreal’s prolonged miracle has been based. A model of management, good sense and internal coexistence achieved by a handful of people, including him. It’s been quite a few months since we learned of his illness, very advanced when it was detected, but it gave him time to see his team win the Europa League, a huge achievement for the club from a city of that size. We say goodbye to him with pain, but he leaves with a fulfilled and happy life, with a task done.

The game did not show off his work, but that’s football stuff. Xavi shook the cup, changed ends, took De Jong out of midfield and went for Villarreal. With too much risk perhaps, because he was exposed to two-on-two counterattacks, especially at the beginning, when De Jong jumped too high, which he later corrected. But he was pleased to see Ansu Fati happy and daring for the shot, Pedri and Gavi driving, Ferran entering from the right, Jordi Alba galloping and hisespecially Lewandowski giving meaning to everything. As soon as they get close to him, he solves the matches and last night he was better fed than with Dembélé and Raphinha.

Ansu Fati left in minute 74 leaving a goal and the impression that we will see him in the World Cup, De Jong left to much applause while Busquets was received with indifference. and andhe uproar came when Piqué entered, already with little time ahead of him, between strong pita. The cheering crowd reacted in his favor and the rest of the game was an unpleasant battle of decibels in divided opinions. Piqué is already more of a problem than a solution, but there are so few central defenders available (Yesterday Xavi pulled Marcos Alonso to accompany Koundé) that something will have to play. Removing that final awkwardness, It was a healing night for Barça.