After the long international break, Barcelona had to focus on the league again. The race for first place is very tight so for the Catalans, this was a must-win, especially, because it’s one week before the El Clasico. It wasn’t an easy match, after all, most of the players traveled a lot and we could see signs of fatigue. However, thanks to a late goal, Barcelona collected the 3 points and ready for the match against the biggest rival. Let’s see how Ousmane Dembelé, the hero of the match, played vs Valladolid!
In the first half, the team couldn’t really get into the match and we could see that there were lots of possession losses and concentration mistakes. Dembelé was one of the active players who tried to lead the attacks and create dangerous chances. Because of his speed, he was effective in putting pressure on the opponent’s goalkeeper and defenders. His kind of unique “fake shots” and dribbling skills created issues for the Valladolid players in the box.
Furthermore, it’s a joy to watch that he’s enjoying playing more match by match next to Sergino Dest.
He played comfortably on both of the wings, no matter how the system changed in the match. He had a few promising “plays” with Messi too which was really close to scoring.
Last but not least, thanks to his perfect positioning and powerful shot he scored the winning goal in the 90′ minute from Araujo’s header assist.
There are still few things he has to improve in. Despite his goal, he doesn’t always make the right decisions and ends up with a bad shot or a misplaced pass. If he can improve on this, I am sure more goals and assists will come too.
Statistics (Sofascore)
- 1 goal
- 3 shots on target
- 2 shots blocked
- 6 successful dribble attempt
- accurate passes – 82%
- 2 key passes
- 11 duels won
- 2 crosses
- 14 possession lost
Rating: 9/10
