Catalan Comeuppance

Stop one on the revenge tour is sorted, onto Monaco

After a total team masterclass against Girona, Barça turn their eyes to the south of France, looking to continue their vengeful ways against AS Monaco, to whom they lost 3-0 in the Gamper Trophy match. But first, before we recap the triumphant Catalan derby and preview the first Champions League match of the season, some news and notes…

News & Notes

🏥 Well, I’m sorry everyone. I should’ve known better. That sinking feeling in my gut when Olmo got injured during the international break was a familiar one, but I hoped that writing about it would’ve reverse jinxed it.

Two out of the three key questions I had for the match revolved around Olmo and the idea of resting some key players ahead of the brutal month ahead. Yet even saying that, I can’t fault Flick for wanting to keep the momentum going as it’s such a key stretch.

Apparently he won’t play for Spain during the next international break and will be back for the Sevilla match in five weeks.

🏥 Frenkie de Jong is back! He’s just training with the team, so hopefully the ankle responds well to the ramp up. We’ll see if the earlier consternation was warranted.

🏥 Surprisingly, Fermín is also on the road back from the hamstring injury he suffered earlier this season. He likely won’t be available for Monaco but is targeting Villarreal.

🏥 However, there is one player who is available for Monaco, and that would be Ansu Fati! Could he look to make a return on Thursday in place of Olmo after his injury against Girona?

Match in Review: Girona vs Barcelona

I was slightly too pessimistic in my 1-3 prediction for the match, as Barcelona decided to add another to the away end tally. I was nervous about that prediction at first, but to the extent that nervousness lasted at all in this match, it certainly dissipated by the 18th minute when Pedri — all 1.75m, 58kg of him — harassed and frankly dominated Jhon Solís, who has 13cm on him and outweighs him by 20kg, in order to draw a foul.

I knew then that the most likely result was going to be a win. They wanted it too much to let anything else happen.

Sure enough, in case anyone was uncertain whether this is a different kind of team to years past; whether this is a team that’s prepared, physically and mentally, to put in the work necessary to put matches away; whether this is the kind of team to prioritise winning above all else, then Lamine Yamal put that to bed in the 30th minute. Yamal hustled and cleanly swiped the ball from David Lopez and slotted the ball past Paulo Gazzaniga’s head for his second goal of the season. He’d later contribute another gorgeous curled finish off a set-piece rebound.

Both Pedri and Yamal’s pressing were representative of the team’s efforts as a whole, and it’s clear that it’s a central tenet of Flick’s system.

He later complimented their early mentality: “We started very concentrated, very focussed, we pressed them […] You saw the first goal, it was unbelievably good (pressing) from Lamine.”

Despite some dicey moments that showcased why Girona is a solid team not to be taken lightly — Bryan Gil’s left footed shot in the 43rd minute (good save by Ter Stegen), the penalty that got reVARsed, and the actual Stuani goal (dumb mistake by Ter Stegen — Barcelona felt in control.

And they also managed to do it in style, showing off some truly scintillating build-up plays. Koundé’s pass to Olmo for a scorcher that would’ve felt like a cheat code if you saw it in FIFA was awesome. Casado’s pass to Pedri was honestly so exquisite I thought Xavi had popped into the game, and Pedri’s finish tied it all together beautifully. The best one wasn’t even a goal as Lewandowski was unable to cap off an exchange that saw eight Barça players touch the ball before Gazzaniga denied Lewandowski’s dink shot.

The team was able to show off the beautiful football many of them have been taught to play at La Masia, but this match demonstrated to their fans that they won’t sacrifice substance for style.

Game Previews: Monaco, Villarreal

Let’s start with our first UCL match of the season.

⚽️ What: Champions League, League Phase - Match 1

🏟️ Where: Stade Louis II, Monaco.

⏰ When: Thursday, September 19th at 8pm (BST).

What to watch for: Is Lamine Yamal truly a superstar in the making? Barcelona are rightly worried about the pressure his meteoric rise is putting on the 17-year old, but the kid is too good for his own good. He’s already on three goals and four assists in five matches. Reminder: he was 12 years old when COVID hit.

Prediction: Monaco 1-2 FC Barcelona

And then four days later, we have Villarreal.

⚽️ What: LaLiga, Matchday 6

🏟️ Where: Estadio de la Ceramíca, Villarreal.

⏰ When: Sunday, September 20th at 5:30pm (BST).

What to watch for: Villarreal are a good team, capable of vying for a top four spot, with some young talent and a solid foundation of strong players buttressed by Marcelino’s stalwart 4-4-2 formation. As fellow Substack La Pausa puts it:

They look like a team with a purpose now, a clarity of style that wasn’t always there over the last couple of years since Unai Emery left.

But their defence is a question mark as exhibited by their joint-highest goals allowed mark (8 - coincidentally tied with Girona) for teams in the top 10 in the table. I think this one has the potential to be the first hiccup of the season.

Prediction: Villarreal 2-2 FC Barcelona

Visca Barça!