Barcelona News
Catalan fans cannot complain about the season Barcelona has to offer, at least in La Liga. After three years of absence, the Blaugrana are the main favorites to win the championship, and it has not been an easy road.
A lot of the credit goes to the players, but you can’t hide the work done by the coaching staff, who had almost no experience on a top-level team.
Juan Laporta and Xavi Hernandez have worked side by side to get Barcelona back to their former glory, and they succeeded, although luck was not on the team’s side in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. However, there will always be gaps that need to be covered.
Certainly, Barcelona expected that the team would once again be snappy in attack, but the truth is that if Barcelona is fighting to win the league, it is thanks to strength and defensive resistance.
At the offensive level, the Blaugrana left Robert Lewandowski alone more than necessary, because the wingers on whom Xavi relied did not help him, and now, in the club, they certainly regret letting go of a player who could have played a key role in certain moments of decisive matches..
When Xavi Hernandez took over, he did not have many international stars, and he had to rely on young players from the academy, among them the young Abdel Samad Al Zalzouli. The Moroccan forward was fulfilling the dream of every player who grew up in the youth teams: making his debut with the first team.
In spite of everything, a new season and new changes. The deals made by the Barcelona board of directors forced Abdel Samad to search for a way out to get more playing minutes, and he went on loan to Osasuna.
Despite everything, he produced a stunning level, and Barcelona certainly rushed to carry out his recovery, because the slight imbalance in the attackers in the team awakens the need to rely on a player with these characteristics.
Abdel Samad Al-Zalzouli was a key piece for Osasuna to qualify for the cup final. In addition, in the last league match against Elche, the former Blaugrana player led the Remontada by scoring both goals.
“He takes chances very well and when he returns we will evaluate him, he can be an important piece for the future,” said Xavi Hernandez, in the previous press conference. Zelzouli’s performance has clearly not gone unnoticed in the Barcelona offices, and he will most likely be back to stay.
Certainly, Xavi and Laporta were unaware that they would need a player with these qualities to face the complex moments of the season, but now it is too late.
Osasuna will enjoy El Zalzouli’s talent, but Barcelona will bring him back when the loan period ends, and according to Xavi’s words, the Moroccan has shown that he has the level enough to compete with the rest of the Blaugrana strikers for next season.
Source: El Nacional
