Part 1: FC Barcelona moves past the weak side Ceuta
The Catalan giants have been a little out of touch but while playing for the Super Cup match against a second tire team Ceuta, Barcelona were victorious as they won the game 0-2 away from home in the North of Africa.
Josep Pep Guardiola decided to take a team that wasn’t really experienced. Even though the game was called “night of the stars,” there weren’t many stars that actually featured that night. It was expected that eight of the players that featured as first
team players of the Spanish national side, would appear for Barcelona but the Spanish coach had other plans for the “tired” squad and decided to rest them as he took six of Barcelona B players during the match.
The Blaugrana wearing players had a very busy schedule in terms of football as they appeared in many competitions and saw too much football with very less break. The players that played during the FIFA World Cup, meaning all of the stars from the starting
line-up, were very tired and needed rest and Guardiola saw what was best for the team so he didn’t take them alongside him as most of the team was rested and only the captain, Carles Puyol was benched during the match.
It is true that the team that Guaradiola selected was very young but all of them did have a first team experience before. The young Spanish striker Bojan Krkic was given the captain’s armband as Pedro Rodriguez and Jeffren Suarez took their positions at
their favourite right wing and left wing positions. The young midfielder and the player who is expected to succeed the midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez, Thiago Alcantro was the one who featured in the midfield and gave a solid performance. The young midfielder
was assisted by two sensational and experienced players Javier Mascherano and Seydou Keita in the midfield.
The newly signed Argentinean, Javier Mascherano featured in his favourite holding midfield position and it was Seydou Keita who played as a box to box player. Keita would fall back whenever the team needed assistance at the back and the former Sevilla player
would even move forward whenever the team needed aid up front in scoring goals.
Another newly signed player also featured during the team. The newly signed Brazilian from Sevilla, Adriano also featured during the game as he was played as a right back as he was the one who replaced the first team Brazilian full back, Daniel Alves. Eric
Abidal’s left back role was well taken by the Brazilian left back, Maxwell who did a fine job during the game and was expected to do so as well as he was one of the most experienced players on the pitch. He was also given the man of the match award after the
game.
Jose Manuel Pinto was the one who stood between the two poles and featured as a goal stopper for the club. He is the second choice goalkeeper for the Catalan giants as Victor Valdes is the number 1. However, it was Valdes who could not play the midweek game
against the Danish Champions FC Copenhagen and while the Spaniard was suffering from a stomach problem it was Pinto who took his role and did a superb job. Pinto, during the match against Ceuta, did a wonderful job and did not concede a single goal throughout
the game.
Barta and Fontas were the players who played as the centre backs and they were very solid as Pinto assisted them well enough in the centre of the 18 yard box. Both of them, even though they are young, they did a fantastic job and all this can be proven by
the clean sheet that they were able to pull off.
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