According to FCBarca.com, what were the best and worst aspects of today’s Copa del Rey semi-final?
The best: lots of good Dembélé football
Xavi repeated the formation with Gavi running close to the left at the nominal wing expense. This allowed a numerical advantage in front of the opposition penalty area and gave Dembélé more freedom. The Frenchman was the best player in Barcelona today. He was often given the opportunity to continue with only one opponent in front of him and he did a great job. He was brave and creative, but also rational in his actions. Most of all, he scored an important goal in qualifying for the semi-finals and deserved a standing ovation from the fans when he was substituted for Ansu Fati in the 84th minute.
The worst: another nerve ending and early problems
Barcelona had everything to decide the match long before its end. However, playing with the one-man advantage, she couldn’t take full advantage of Dembele’s good disposition or Balde’s speed. Precision was also lacking in Pedri or Gavi, and Lewandowski was having trouble freeing himself from the care of defenders. As a result, they again allowed a nerve ending that Ter Stegen had to double and triple. But Germany’s best save came after a huge error in handling the ball. Overtime was up in the air, and we knew that scenario all too well. To make matters worse, the change of pedri was dictated by illnesses. Let’s hope there won’t be a long break in the game.
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