Every since that infamous Champions League night against Paris Saint-Germain, Ronald Araujo hasn’t been the same.
It was the second leg of the quarter-finals, and Barcelona were up 4-2 on aggregate before
the star center-back (at the time at least) was sent off for a clumsy tackle on Bradley Barcola, denying what was determined to be a clear goal scoring opportunity.
What happened next was a team meltdown, including questionable in-game management by Xavi. Up two goals, Barcelona should have found a way to get the win.
In the end, however, Araujo made a big unforced error, and it has plagued him in the eyes of the public ever since.
With the departure of Iñigo Martínez, there is a starting spot on the backline that’s still up for grabs. Against Real Oviedo, Araujo made his base case yet that he’s ready to take back his old job.
And just in time too, with none other than PSG coming to town on October 1st. Now would be a great time for Araujo to bury the past, and prove he’s up for the challenging of succeeding in Hansi Flick’s system.
No one has ever questioned Araujo’s physical abilities, or his fighting spirit. These qualities were desperately needed when he made a name for himself at a time when Barcelona was heavily criticized for playing soft and scared during those years of crisis on and off the field.
Now, the Blaugrana need Araujo to evolve into a different type of player. One who adopts the mantra of do no harm. For a player of his caliber, if unforced errors can be avoided, it won’t take long to be seen again as one of the best defenders in Europe.
Against Real Oviedo, he saw that his team was struggling to breakthrough. Their backs were against the wall after Joan García made an overzealous play on the ball. In this match, the team had to have the back of their goalkeeper, who’s had theirs on many occasions already this season.
Araujo was in beast mode defensively, locking down Salomón Rondón.
As he is apt to do late in games when his team needs a goal or two, Araujo got forward, and unlocked Oviedo’s backline with an elegant run down the left flank, that resulted in Barca’s equalizer. Take note Marcus Rashford, using your left foot will yield positive results.
Finally, he ended the game with a much deserved goal.
This was a confident Araujo who took the meaning of wearing the captain’s armband to heart. On the night, he was the leader by example, and his determination paid off.
Hansi Flick needs this version of Araujo going forward.
At the moment, he seems to prefer Eric García. What what be better is if García does what he does best as a utility player, playing mostly as a full-back, while Araujo nails down the starting centerback position alongside Pau Cubarsí.
Great teams need defensive consistency and continuity, even if it takes time to click.
The biggest positive to take from the come from behind victory against Real Oviedo is seeing Araujo get his mojo back.
That’s good news for the defender, and great news for Barcelona.
