The Barcelona under coach Ronald Koeman played their second match in the pre-season match. Of the two trial matches that have been undertaken, Barcelona managed to win. All ended with a score of 3-1.
In the first trial match, Barcelona won over Gimnastic de Tarragona on Saturday (12/9/2020). Three goals for El Barca were scored by Ousmane Dembele (5 ‘), Antoine Griezmann (17’ penalty), and Philippe Coutinho (51’penalti).
Most recently, Wednesday (16/9/2020), Barcelona beat Girona at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. This time, Lionel Messi, who had wanted to leave the club, became the star of Barcelona’s victory through his two fantastic goals. The other goal was scored by Coutinho.
The following are some of the interesting changes Koeman made against Girona:
1. The first eleven starters played for more than an hour
One of the main changes from the first friendly match was the division of the minutes. Against Gimnastic, Koeman played two completely different teams in each half, giving 45 minutes to each of the 22 players he played.
Against Girona, the Dutchman used a total of 20 players, but in different ways: 11 players played 62 minutes and the other nine played in the final half hour of the match. Only Neto and Araujo played the full 90 minutes.
2. Messi returns with goals
With two goals against Girona, Lionel Messi scored for the first time since August 8 against Napoli when Barça won 3-1 at Camp Nou. Two of Messi’s goals on Wednesday night come in each half, the first with the right foot and the second with the left.
3. Coutinho continues to inspire Brazilian midfielder
Coutinho, who scored from the penalty spot in the win against Gimnastic, make another score against Girona. Two goals in two games since his return. Playing 62 minutes, Coutinho created many moments of danger for Barca’s opponents. His goal came after a great combination play between Griezmann, Messi and Trincao.
4. Youngsters shine again
Both the new players (Trincao and Pedri) and the young talents from La Masia (Riqui Puig, Araujo and Konrad) have once again shown their best. Araujo played for 90 minutes and was very confident in defense, while Trincao also started and provided the game’s first assist and created a lot of danger from the right.
As for Riqui, Pedri and Konrad, all three entered in the second half. Riqui is very active in midfield, Pedri has several chances to score, and Konrad is excellent in one-on-one.
5. The Scheme used
Ronald Koeman used the 4-2-3-1 formation. The players show a lot of mobility, constantly change positions and produce high-quality combination play. Gradually, the players adapted to the new system.
