A 'handful' and good feelings from Barça in Basel

BarcelonaBarça has left good feelings in the friendly match played in Basel, which they won 2-5. The important thing was not the score, but to see how the team reacted against an opponent who, although not of the highest footballing level, is more seasoned and took the match very seriously. Adeyemi, with a goal and an assist, was one of the protagonists of a match that also served for the young Bisiwu to debut with a brace.

While waiting for the squad to be finalized with the two or three signings that are expected to arrive before the market closes, Flick now has all the players at his disposal, even though he prefers to rest most of the members of la roja, who were returning to training this week. Without Gavi or Pedri, who stayed in Barcelona, only Joan and Eric started. They were also among those who had the fewest minutes with the national team. Despite this, the lineup was impressive, especially in attack. Gordon debuted with Barça playing on the left, his ideal position, and Adeyemi repeated on the right. The striker position, orphaned since Lewandowski and Ferran packed their bags, was occupied, on this occasion, by Raphinha who, in addition, wore the captain's armband.

The Brazilian has not been entirely comfortable in the middle. Willing as always, but a bit out of position and with his aim off. He tried to finish a few shots that went wide, but the best action of all was the one that opened the scoring, making a run and delivering a tense cross that Adeyemi did not waste: control and a powerful shot into the back of the net. A goal that started thanks to Xavi Espart's pass into space, who against all odds played in midfield – Eric was the right-back – and offered a good footballing repertoire, with aggressive tackling, combination play, and depth.

In general terms, the match was a Barcelona monologue, who had much more of the ball and spent the game playing in the opponent's half. The team moved the ball with some speed and approached Basel's goal with danger. However, what was missing was interior play. It was also missing to finish some moves that died at the edge of the box because the Catalans didn't quite dare to shoot. In fact, apart from the goal, there were only two shots on target from Barcelona in the first 45 minutes. Details that did not go unnoticed by Flick, who, with a serious expression, paid close attention to all the small details to correct them at halftime.

Pre-season is unusual and it shows that the team is not yet at 100% physically. The first half felt long for the Catalans, and Basel, who did very little in attack, managed to score with a shot from Doucouré, who latched onto a rebound at the edge of the box. Christensen was soft on a clearance and Balde arrived late to help.

Bisiwu scores his first goal with a brace

As expected, Flick has moved the bench at halftime and completed the rotations in the second half. One of those who sat on the bench was Gordon, who did a lot of dirty work in the press, but also thankless because he shone little. His place has been taken by Adeyemi, who has switched sides and offered a new recital, now on the left. The German footballer has not tired of attempting runs and cuts. Also shots, one of which went just wide. On the other hand, he was accurate with the cross that Abdelkarim converted into the second goal.

If the dominance was already Barça's, the entries of Olmo and Lamine Yamal in the middle of the second half further exaggerated the possession of a Barça that extended its lead thanks to a penalty converted by Lamine Yamal. The Swiss team, also from a penalty – a very strict one –, reduced the score, but in the final minutes, Bisiwu opened the floodgates and sealed the match with two goals. The first, his signature style, hitting a ball into the top corner, and the second, after a good recovery by Lamine Yamal who finished with a goal pass inside the box.