BarcelonaMemphis Depay has gone from being the main icon of the forward at the beginning of the season to having to paddle bravely to earn a place on the attacking flank. With the arrival of reinforcements during the winter market and the departure of his main defender, Ronald Koeman, the Dutchman has to work hard to earn a few minutes which, although he previously hoarded himself by overexposing himself to injury, with Xavi are much more expensive. Memphis, however, took advantage of the last two moments he had after overcoming an injury and a relapse that kept him sidelined for more than two months and caused him to miss 13 games.
The former L’Olympique de Lyon has scored two goals in his last two appearances and also continues to be well received by the fans. The Camp Nou applauded him when he went out to warm up before jumping to play against Athletic, remembering the good times he had at the beginning of the season. In fact, his shirt was one of the most requested at the beginning of the season, also, in large part, for his charisma and his good use of communication channels, in which he has not hesitated to express any message in Catalan. on social media.
With Xavi he no longer starts as a starter, but he is still a piece well valued by the coaching staff. In fact, just as the dressing room admits that he has lost the title he had at the beginning, it is argued that the Egarenc coach is very present “because he is a striker with a good reading of the movements in close to the area “and, above all,” he has a lot of goals “. They also highlight his “personality” and the fact that he does not “shirk responsibilities”, as was already clear when he wanted to kick the decisive penalty against Elche.
Difficulties in signing Haaland
The continuity of the Dutch striker at Barça, however, is subject to a transfer market in which the most sought-after players are Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé. The desire to incorporate a differential level forward center is not hidden from the Barça sports leadership. The desired is the Norwegian Ram of Borussia Dortmund, for which other great teams such as Manchester City or Real Madrid sigh. Barça’s main obstacle in this struggle lies in the type of contract it wants to offer Haaland, which would not be exactly what the player hopes to sign. While the Barça club wants a long-term commitment (of at least 5 years) to repay the investment and a progressive salary and incentives with bonuses, sources in the negotiations consulted by ARA explain that the striker is in favor of tying with a shorter contract that allows you to renegotiate the terms in the shorter term. Haaland will turn 22 in July.
At the same time, the club is looking for other options for the position of center forward, aware of the difficulty of closing the incorporation of the Norwegian. In fact, at an information breakfast on Tuesday, President Joan Laporta admitted that City are ahead in the race and that Madrid will make a frontal attack if Mbappé ends up staying at PSG. The most radical turn would be to see Haaland in white and Mbappé in Barça, an option that seems ridiculous, but which is not completely ruled out at the top of Barça. The downside is that the arrival of a first-class striker would open the door to Memphis, for whom Barça would be looking to make some money. He is a footballer who has arrived free of charge this season and would generate capital gains with a transfer that could only be given this summer, as he only signed until 2023.
The understanding between Memphis and Ferran
Meanwhile, the Dutchman is working to regain a place at eleven. Against Elche he played the last 15 minutes from the left wing. While Ferran played as a winger when he matched Aubameyang, Foios went on the offensive line when he entered Memphis. Xavi has made it clear from day one that the extremes play a very important role in his game system. On the right, the role is defined: he wants a footballer who gives breadth and is explosive when facing the opponent. It is for this reason that Adama has fallen to his feet at the Camp Nou and that Dembélé has dazzled a little more than during the Koeman stage. In fact, the continuity of the French depends on him. Barça defend that they will not move any more files regarding their renewal.
At the moment, Xavi has Mosquit as another player on the team, alternating the right wing with Adama, who before coming to Barça was the player who completed the most waterings per game (5.2) in Europe. On the left side, the coach chooses the profile of the attacker based on the approach. So far, he has tried three formulas: pure extreme in emergency situations, the mobility of Ferran and Gavi as a false extreme. Memphis is running for office. In the few minutes he has played this 2022 he has shown a good rapport with Ferran. In Elche, the movements of the attackers complemented each other quite well: when Memphis offered to face the ball, Ferran took advantage of the space occupied by the Dutchman to demarcate himself in depth.
One of the most significant moments of the game was when Memphis caught the ball to throw the penalty. Ferran left Valencia because the club did not offer him the hierarchy of a leader and now he wants to gain the desired status in Barcelona. Against Napoli, he hit the first penalty of his career, at a time when Barça were behind on the scoreboard. But in Alicante, with the same need to score, Memphis was the pitcher. Depay has taken part in one of Barça’s four goals this year, despite playing only 60% of the minutes. In addition, he is the Barça footballer who has generated the most chances to score (36), one more than Jordi Alba.
