The situation
The rout of the Mexican Pumas put the finishing touch to Barcelona’s preseason . With a balance of four wins and two draws, 18 goals for and three against, Xavi’s team is doing a great job ahead of the league start, against Rayo Vallecano next Saturday. The Barça coach, with enough resources to double the number of players in all positions, will have the difficult task of putting together an eleven based on what has been seen in these friendlies. While some members of the squad seem to have a guaranteed place, others will have to make a huge effort to convince the Terrassa coach, including Ferran Torres . Although the Spanish international has not been able to debut in the team’s pre-season due to the injury he suffered in July, the sensations and results of the team seem to indicate that the former Manchester City player starts at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the forwards Blaugrana. The newcomers Lewandowski and Raphinha dazzle from the first day, Dembélé once again remembers that electric player and with a goal from Borussia Dortmund, Ansu Fati has completed a great preseason managing to leave injuries behind, and Aubameyang has contributed in each participation , developing so much of ram as of end. Only Braithwaite and Memphis, whom the club is still looking for, seem to be one step below the former Valencia youth squad.
The details
Ferran, who arrived in January of the previous year from the skyblues in exchange for 55 million euros to solve the problems with the Barça team’s goal, unquestionably became the starter under Xavi’s tutelage. The striker from Foios completed 26 games, in which he managed seven goals and six assists , numbers that helped the Catalans to reach second place in the league. Now, his situation within the team has turned around. With the arrival of new competition in the Blaugrana forward, along with his lack of mileage in preseason, Ferran will have to work hard to regain his place in the starting eleven . Opportunities will not be lacking, since the high compression of matches this season, due to the World Cup in Qatar, will force Xavi to pull from the bottom of his wardrobe on a regular basis to compete in the three competitions.