barca blaugranes 
14-04-2024 08:56
14-04-2024 08:56
Three talking points from Cadiz 0-1 Barcelona
Xavi obviously had one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final tie second leg against PSG, and rightly so, as he made wholesale changes to his team for the trip to Cadiz.
Robert Lewandowski, Joao Cancelo and Inigo Martinez were all suspended – but Xavi also finally opted to give Ilkay Gundogan a rest along with Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong. Marcos Alonso came back into the team after a long spell out with injury, while Fermin Lopez, Hector Fort, Oriol Romeu and Vitor Roque were all handed chances to impress.
Fermin was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet with a shot that was hacked off the line, while Hector Fort put in another promising shift at right-back.
Yet it was another tough night for Vitor Roque. The Brazilian was a willing runner but was barely involved and was hooked on the hour as Xavi made a triple change and brought on Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Jules Kounde.
Oriol Romeu also put in a really poor display and it will be a big surprise if he’s still at the club next season.
Yet despite it all Barca were still just about good enough to get the job done on a ground where they’ve struggled in the past. Don’t forget Barca have dropped points on two of their last three visits to Cadiz
Joao Felix brings the magic
Joao Felix was the man to provide the magic for Barcelona at Cadiz, scoring an eye-catching bicycle kick to claim all three points. He actually could probably have had a hat-trick but had to settle for the only goal of the game.
We all know the Portugal international has the talent to produce moments of brilliance, the only problem is that he simply doesn’t do it often enough.
Yet Felix certainly seems to love playing Cadiz. He scored a similar goal against them last season in Atletico colours and has six goals in five games against Cadiz – more than any other opponent. It’s also the first bicycle kick by a Barcelona player since Luis Suarez netted a stunner against Sevilla back in 2019.
The Atletico loanee now has 10 goals and five assists so far this season for Barcelona.
It’s not a bad tally from the Atletico loanee, particularly considering he’s not a regular starter under Xavi. Only Robert Lewandowski (20) and Ferran Torres (11) have scored more for the Blaugrana this season.
Whether he’s done enough to convince Barca to stay remains to be seen. It looks unlikely he’ll start against PSG next time out, due to Raphinha’s heroics in the first leg, but the two players certainly seem to be pushing each other hard for that position on the left side right now.
Ter Stegen rescues Barca as clean sheet run continues
Barcelona could have dropped points late on but were indebted to Marc-Andre ter Stegen who pulled off another spectacular save to preserve a clean sheet.
Cadiz had several chances during the match but the best of all came in the 77th minute. Diadie Samassekou let fly with a ferocious shot but a flying Ter Stegen ensured there was no way it was ending up in the back of his net. Not today. Barca have now kept six clean sheets in a row in La Liga and it’s no surprise at all that those numbers coincide with Ter Stegen’s return to action after a long lay-off due to back surgery.
His latest heroics undoubtedly played a massive part in Barca’s win, and you suspect he will play a key role in the coming week when Barca come up against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.
Robert Lewandowski, Joao Cancelo and Inigo Martinez were all suspended – but Xavi also finally opted to give Ilkay Gundogan a rest along with Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong. Marcos Alonso came back into the team after a long spell out with injury, while Fermin Lopez, Hector Fort, Oriol Romeu and Vitor Roque were all handed chances to impress.
Fermin was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet with a shot that was hacked off the line, while Hector Fort put in another promising shift at right-back.
Yet it was another tough night for Vitor Roque. The Brazilian was a willing runner but was barely involved and was hooked on the hour as Xavi made a triple change and brought on Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Jules Kounde.
Oriol Romeu also put in a really poor display and it will be a big surprise if he’s still at the club next season.
Yet despite it all Barca were still just about good enough to get the job done on a ground where they’ve struggled in the past. Don’t forget Barca have dropped points on two of their last three visits to Cadiz
Joao Felix brings the magic
Joao Felix was the man to provide the magic for Barcelona at Cadiz, scoring an eye-catching bicycle kick to claim all three points. He actually could probably have had a hat-trick but had to settle for the only goal of the game.
We all know the Portugal international has the talent to produce moments of brilliance, the only problem is that he simply doesn’t do it often enough.
Yet Felix certainly seems to love playing Cadiz. He scored a similar goal against them last season in Atletico colours and has six goals in five games against Cadiz – more than any other opponent. It’s also the first bicycle kick by a Barcelona player since Luis Suarez netted a stunner against Sevilla back in 2019.
The Atletico loanee now has 10 goals and five assists so far this season for Barcelona.
It’s not a bad tally from the Atletico loanee, particularly considering he’s not a regular starter under Xavi. Only Robert Lewandowski (20) and Ferran Torres (11) have scored more for the Blaugrana this season.
Whether he’s done enough to convince Barca to stay remains to be seen. It looks unlikely he’ll start against PSG next time out, due to Raphinha’s heroics in the first leg, but the two players certainly seem to be pushing each other hard for that position on the left side right now.
Ter Stegen rescues Barca as clean sheet run continues
Barcelona could have dropped points late on but were indebted to Marc-Andre ter Stegen who pulled off another spectacular save to preserve a clean sheet.
Cadiz had several chances during the match but the best of all came in the 77th minute. Diadie Samassekou let fly with a ferocious shot but a flying Ter Stegen ensured there was no way it was ending up in the back of his net. Not today. Barca have now kept six clean sheets in a row in La Liga and it’s no surprise at all that those numbers coincide with Ter Stegen’s return to action after a long lay-off due to back surgery.
His latest heroics undoubtedly played a massive part in Barca’s win, and you suspect he will play a key role in the coming week when Barca come up against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.