A month after his return to Barcelona, there is increasing speculation in the Spanish media about the role Daniel Alves should take with the Catalan superpower. On Tuesday evening, the Brazilian was one of the few experienced players on the field as Barca took on Boca Juniors (1-2 loss) in the Maradona Cup battle. It was the full-back’s first minutes since his arrival at the Camp Nou.
Barça took the lead against Boca thanks to Ferran Jutlgà, but had to concede the equalizer fifteen minutes before the end. After penalties, the Argentine formation turned out to be too strong. According to Mundo Deportivo the tribute to Diego Maradona, who died last year, was hardly uplifting, although a situation in the final minute of the game gave food for thought. Xavi’s team got an excellent opportunity to win the game through a free kick on the edge of the penalty area, after which Alves, among others, reported.
Three players raised their hands for the opportunity. In addition to Alves, Matheus Fernandes and Riqui Puig also reported. Alves, who was wearing the captain’s armband at the time, turned out to be the most convinced in the end, but saw his attempt go over the crossbar. Nevertheless, the Spanish daily sees a new specialist in the Brazilian squad in the Brazilian squad, as Xavi’s squad’s previous seven attempts went untapped. Memphis Depay killed four free kicks, Philippe Coutinho two and Ansu Fati one. A statistic that the Spanish media are not happy about.
According to Mundo Deportivo confidence among the specialists is currently so low that in the final phase of the lost league match against Real Betis (0-1) in a promising position, Depay even opted for a cross instead of a direct attempt on goal. The difference in attacking terms is big at Barcelona. Last season, the Catalans had 27 free kicks after 22 games, now only 7. Lionel Messi eventually scored 3 of the 54 free kicks during the past football season. “Will Alves be the new specialist?”, concludes the Spanish sports newspaper.
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