The performance of Joan García against Rayo Vallecano was worth the price of the admission.
Not only did he single-handedly save a point for Barcelona in the league table, he saved the Blaugrana some serious embarrassment. The game ended 1-1, but it could easily have been so much worse.
This is what the goalkeeper was brought in from Espanyol to do. Audition over. The job is yours Joan García, you can take a bow.
It wasn’t just about the quantity of saves he made, but the quality in such dangerous,
and seemingly impossible moments. We’re talking one-on-one on several occasions, frequently from point blank range.
We know that this is how Hansi Flick wants his team to play. Not afraid to flirt with danger. In the end, this system will always ask a lot of the shot stopper.
The question heading into the international break is whether it’s asking too much, and whether the juice is worth the squeeze.
I would have told you months ago, in the second half of last season, that Flick’s Barcelona was starting to be found out by opponents. The surprise factor was key to the success a year ago.
Everyone, opponents big and small, is getting behind the high line, and beating the offsides trap more and more.
Even if you have the best goalkeeper in the world, it won’t matter. Eventually, you are going to start dropping points. Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s defense looks rock solid, having only conceded one goal in three games. They are going to be a tough rival to keep up with. Barcelona cannot play around. They have to figure themselves out now.
They can be an attacking team. But they can’t sacrifice defense in the process if they hope to win trophies.
That doesn’t mean a radical change in tactics, but I hope Flick does make adjustments soon.
They have a fantastic new addition in Joan García, and he is going to help the team a lot in big moments. The manager, and his teammates, also need to do their part and recognize when something is working, and identify what they can do to help.
Rayo Vallecano was not a one off. Barcelona has looked far below the high standards they have set for themselves in all three of the opening matches.
They have two weeks to figure out what’s going wrong, and what needs to be done to get back on the right track.
In the meantime, we should all be grateful for Joan García. He’s going to be a thrill to watch, and he’s going to be a real difference maker in this campaign.
