The Catalans, tired of receiving thrashings that have made them the colors of the Champions League in recent years, now want to enjoy the revolution of young people. But every rebirth needs its time and, although the evolution of the team is remarkable since the arrival of Xavi, there will also be days when you will have to paddle more, that things will take longer to go well. This would be the story that would be lived against a Turkish team that invested until its last drop of sweat in defending itself (0-0). Barça will go to Istanbul without their homework, but yesterday they left the stadium knowing that they have the warmth of the fans.
And that, from the very beginning, the game did not flow against Galatasaray. With Piqué and Busquets resting, Barça spent the entire first half without being precise in the passing, especially Araujo. Nor could they release the pressure just as well because the Turkish team gave up playing, nor did they create danger in a dizzying way as in recent games. Domènec Torrent, who often relies on his speed, had a rotten day on the drenched grass. His approach was often reminiscent of that of Elche, with players from the Turkish team chasing Barça’s most talented footballers. Also the starting striker chosen by Xavi was the same yesterday who ended up resolving the awkward match against the Valencians, but in this case without a bite.
Barça did not roll and the few chances to score in the first half came in isolation. With Ferran Torres missing in front of the lower block of Galatasaray, only a discreet Memphis could test Iñaki Peña, on loan from Barça. First, with a free kick that had been born of a genius of Pedri, also forced to make war on their own. Good stop. Better would be the second, with a shot from the Dutch striker from the left corner of the area. Peña made his debut at the Camp Nou and, with his letter of introduction, explains why Xavi wants to keep him in ownership. The most productive of the Barça trident was Adama, but he ended up being polluted by the strange apathy of the whole team in the first half. Like in those days when, at work, you think that something will be easy but you end up getting complicated. Meanwhile, even the cowardly Galatasaray thought he could advance on the scoreboard, after a good action from Aktürkoğlu who came out rubbing the crossbar after bouncing on the back of Eric Garcia.
Xavi is the coach
Faced with the global setback of the whole team, Xavi did not take long to move tab in a game that called for new blood. The Egarenc coach wanted to resolve the lack of balance of his team by leaving Piqué, Busquets and Dembélé just after the break, who would receive whistles again when he jumped on the grass. The victims were Araujo, Nico and Ferran Torres. If one thing Xavi made clear was that he didn’t like what he saw in the first part. The rotations ended abruptly. Xavi acted as coach. In this team no one plays by decree: not even Ferran, the most expensive signing under his brief stint on the bench.
With a lot of patums on the grass, part of the fans demanded the presence of Aubameyang, while cheering with a header from Busquets that Peña sent again a corner to confirm his graduation in the ‘stay. The decibels in the stands of the stadium began to spur the team and silence the more than 1,500 Turkish fans in the henhouse. The team was infected with the energy of the fans and already with the Gabonese on the grass launched the attack. With a point of precipitation, but this Barça is hungry. Jordi Alba warned with a shot that came out rubbing the stick. Frenkie de Jong has a shot deflected off target. Aubameyang almost put the reducer away having drawn the entire left side defense away, but the shot went straight into the arms of the goalkeeper. Adama and Dembélé would send shots close to the crossbar, shortly before Gomis put fear into the body with a goal disallowed for offside. The chances came but Barça did not find the goal. Xavi played it all by giving Luuk de Jong a pass. With more heart than order, the team tried until the end, but who would leave with a smile would be the Turkish fans and Domènec Torrent.
