It’s a brand new Barcelona this season. It feels very very like a extra thrilling one, however is it really a greater Barca as Xavi seeks to mix fashion with substance by integrating Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix into his facet?
Defensively talking, the addition of the 2 Portuguese internationals weakens a crew that regarded heading in the right direction to shatter a number of information final season. With Barca’s unlikely penchant for a 1-0 win, they might properly have set all-time LaLiga defensive information had they not received the title so shortly and comfortably with 9 of their 20 objectives conceded coming after the seventieth minute on matchday 34 which noticed Xavi’s crew clinch the title within the derby at Espanyol.
Barcelona have since misplaced Sergio Busquets and with funds tight, there was comparatively restricted motion within the switch market till the deadline day additions of Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, two extraordinarily proficient gamers who’ve already proven what harm they’re able to inflicting within the ultimate third of the pitch.
Barcelona stats since signing Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo
| Matches (all competitions) | 8 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Attracts | 2 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Targets Scored | 21 |
| Targets Conceded | 7 |
The early indicators are actually optimistic when it comes to the distinction the 2 Joaos could make. Barcelona are unbeaten in 8 matches in all competitions for the reason that duo arrived, successful 6 of them and averaging 2.63 objectives per recreation.
Whereas it’s nonetheless solely a small pattern measurement, we’ve seen some glorious attacking soccer from the Catalans who solely averaged 1.84 objectives per recreation throughout LaLiga 2022/23. Of the 21 objectives scored by Barcelona of their final 8 video games, 8 have been scored or assisted by both Cancelo or Felix.
The positives and negatives to enjoying each in the identical crew had been most vividly demonstrated within the latest residence recreation in opposition to Celta Vigo because the guests surprised the Estadi Olímpic by taking a two aim lead and discovering gaps within the Barca defence that had been seldom current final season.
Nonetheless the presence of Cancelo and Felix and their potential to serve up alternatives for Robert Lewandowski was in the end the completely decisive issue within the recreation because the hosts scored thrice within the ultimate ten minutes with the 2 new boys organising objectives for the Polish striker earlier than Cancelo himself popped up with the winner.
It’s putting simply how shortly Cancelo and Felix have emerged as not simply good new choices, however key members of this crew and for now at the very least assured starters in Barcelona’s greatest eleven. Each males have began each recreation in LaLiga and the Champions League since coming off the bench to make their Barca debuts at Osasuna in early September.
That’s notably stunning within the case of Felix, given Xavi’s obvious reluctance to signal a participant who flattered to deceive all through a lot of his time at Atletico Madrid.
How do the Portuguese duo alter Xavi’s method?
Xavi’s choice to so shortly combine each Cancelo and Felix into his crew has partly come about as a result of fast affect that each made, but additionally due to accidents to Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, two of Barca’s most inventive gamers.
That has largely enforced the present trade-off which has seen the Barca coach area a extra combative midfield with Gavi working in a deeper position than we regularly noticed him in final time period, while relying extra on his new signings to create alternatives. Cancelo has been given freedom to roam forwards from proper again whereas Felix is clearly having fun with his position on the left with the pliability to chop inside and function as extra of a quantity ten.
It’s an method that has produced good outcomes, though it’s true that there was a slight dip in latest efficiency ranges with Barcelona not at their greatest within the 1-0 Champions League win at Porto, nor the 2-2 draw at Granada simply previous to the worldwide break.
It’s going to be very attention-grabbing to see what Xavi does when he lastly has a full squad to select from, a state of affairs which will nonetheless be a way off given the membership’s present harm issues.
For now, he appears very proud of Cancelo at proper again with Jules Kounde enjoying in, or at the very least competing for a spot in his most popular central defensive position.
Discovering the fitting steadiness additional up the pitch would be the problem when De Jong and notably Pedri is match once more, whereas the emergence of electrical teenager Lamine Yamal presents a recent dilemma as a brand new, extra watchable Barca takes form.
Acid exams lie forward
Pleasure over the preliminary affect of Cancelo and Felix ought to be cooled by a comparatively beneficial set of fixtures and Barcelona’s place in a significantly weaker Champions League group than was actually the case final season.
That may quickly change although with a testing fortnight forward that can see the Catalans face fellow prime six opponents within the form of Athletic Membership, Actual Madrid and Actual Sociedad in successive matchdays.
With Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Pedri, Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal all at present fighting accidents, Barca followers might be anxious in regards to the harm that might doubtlessly be executed to their title defence, notably given there may be already a 3 level deficit to make up on Actual Madrid.
The prospect of going into El Clasico with out so many key gamers is especially worrying from a Barca perspective and the fixture might show the acid take a look at of whether or not Xavi is prepared to be daring and really belief the likes of Felix and Cancelo to show it on in opposition to elite opposition, or whether or not he reverts to the extra pragmatic method that we continuously noticed final season.
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