An experimental Barça survives in the chaos of Guadalajara

BarcelonaBarça have reached the Copa del Rey round of 16 after defeating Guadalajara 2-0 in a single-leg tie that had everything. From an unexpected starter to chaos in the stands. With no goals in the first half, strikes from Christensen and Rashford tipped the scales after the break in a match that started half an hour late due to a security issue in the stands that even threatened to be suspended. In the end, the home club managed to resolve the problem in record time.

Hansi Flick is one of those coaches who values ​​both the Cup and dressing room management. In the opening tie, against a Primera RFEF side, the temptation could have been to leave the key players in Barcelona. Instead, the German coach took the entire squad to La Mancha. A clear message: that to win titles, there can be no class differences in the dressing room. It worked for him last season, and he continued applying the same formula on the day the reigning champions began their title defense.

The surprise came when the starting lineups were announced. Ter Stegen started, and Szczesny was on the bench. A plot twist, since the club had assumed that the German wouldn't get any more playing time at Barça. But Flick gave the captain his confidence, partly to show he's ready to play and partly because, by putting him in the spotlight, perhaps an offer will appear in this winter transfer window. Ter Stegen didn't concede a single goal, nor did he have to make any particularly noteworthy saves, apart from two long-range shots, although he looked a bit rusty with his footwork and hesitant when coming off his line. Nothing serious that can't be attributed to a lack of match fitness. Casadó also surprised everyone, playing at right-back despite the coach having said beforehand that he didn't see him in that position.

To survive in the Cup, in the initial rounds, it's necessary to match the intensity of the opponent. And Barça knew how to do that. They did, however, lack a bit of precision in the final third, partly because they missed having their main strikers, as Ferran and Lewandowski remained on the bench. Aware that this was a unique opportunity for them, the Guadalajara players, highly motivated, came out fighting and defended with order and discipline. A back five and a back four, leaving only one man up front. But with that, they could only partially stem the Barcelona onslaught, who spent most of the match passing the ball around near Dani Vicente's goal.

A misleading result

The home goalkeeper was key in preventing Barça from taking control of the game much earlier than they did. And that's despite a nervous start, unable to block shots beyond parrying them. However, he shone, both on long-range efforts and on shots from inside the box by Rashford, who never quite looked comfortable playing again and ended up moving to the left wing in the second half, leaving the position to Fermín. Lamine Yamal also had an off day, whom Flick again positioned as an attacking midfielder. He, too, would soon change position and move to the right, where despite everything, he had a lot of trouble beating his marker in one-on-one situations.

Apart from Roony, the other Barça player with a youth academy contract was Jofre, who displayed a good repertoire at left-back in the 60 minutes he played. In the holding midfield role, Flick once again placed his trust in Marc Bernal. The player from Berguedà completed a very solid first half, with some impressive recoveries and passes, although he was substituted at halftime after receiving a yellow card.

Guadalajara made changes as soon as their energy levels began to wane, allowing the home side to extend their hopes of qualifying. The game opened up a bit, and the home team created some interesting chances, although the Barcelona defense was always alert. Flick, a wily veteran, made substitutions, bringing on heavyweights like Pedri and Koundé for the final minutes. However, it was Christensen, a starter yesterday, who finally opened the scoring, heading in a cross. With fifteen minutes remaining, and Guadalajara fully committed to attack, Rashford made it two. Job done, although it took more effort than many expected.