If you are Barcelona you do not need defenders – La Liga Special
A team gets to the summit of world football with the collaboration of attack and defence. It looks like http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Barcelona-c39078 manager has a different agenda to take on the world. Lacking the majority of his defensive options, manager Pep Guardiola had more than just
the game at stake and he was proven right by his charges as Barca overwhelmed Villarreal by a margin of five goals at Camp Nou.
The Blaugrana have been plagued by injuries at the back. Both first choice centre-backs are out injured and will not be available for the next match as well. Add http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dani-Alves-c9869 to the mix of unavailable players and you have a defensive crisis on hand. However,
if you are Pep Guardiola you can always resort to your plan B, and what is plan B? It is to attack the opposition to the hilt so that they do not even think about your defensive problems and are embroiled in the defensive havoc you are creating in their half.
Pep Guardiola lined his players in a 3-4-3 formation as he prepared his side to take on the Northern http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863 district. It was a slight tweak in his favoured 4-3-3 as the Catalan side coped with defensive crisis. With a makeshift defence of Eric Abidal,
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Sergio-Busquets-c33048, Villarreal would have fancied their chances but failed to get anything out of the game.
Young Spanish international, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Thiago-c34888 Alcantara, started the proceedings in the twenty-fifth minute for Barcelona. A pass from new signing Cesc Fabregas pierced the defence and found a marauding Alcantara waiting to smash the ball from the edge of the penalty
area. It was a delightful end to a silky move orchestrated by the former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 captain.
After providing Alcantara for the opening goal, Fabregas got himself on the score-sheet at the stroke of half time. The 24-year-old combined with fellow La Masia graduate http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 to reap the rewards of a fruitful move. Messi sent a ground ball to Fabregas
who continued his brilliant run into the area. He controlled the ball with ease before sending it around a hapless Diego Lopez, who saw the attacking midfielder roll the ball in to an empty net.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alexis-Sánchez-c4979 free with the goalkeeper. The Chilean winger scored his debut goal by side footing
into the far post.
If Villarreal looked like they were in misery Messi made sure they were consigned to damnation as he scored the fourth goal inside five minutes of Sanchez’s effort. The argentine latched on to an Andres Iniesta through pass and rounded Lopez to score his
100th home goal for the Catalan side. It was game over then but Messi had other plans for the night. With fifteen minutes left to play of normal time, the pint-sized attacker sent a curling ball to Alcantara who reciprocated by returning it back
for Messi to tap the ball in.
Barcelona win 5-0 on the night and had everything to cheer about. Before the match, Les Cules would have been worried about the defensive problems but Pep Guardiola’s charges will face problems when they relinquish possession, a trait they do not posses.
All the new additions to the first team roster showed that they have gelled in well, and the season should be cheerful.
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