So near and yet so far…
The quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey offers each participant a genuine chance of making it all the way to the final, whilst still being mindful to not think too far ahead.
Real Madrid might well have been guilty of that against Barca’s opponents on Tuesday night, and as a result, Albacete beat Los Blancos for the first time in 15 attempts and started Alvaro Arbeloa’s reign off in the worst possible way.
It isn’t just Real that have fallen by the wayside at their hands this
season either, with another La Liga outfit, Celta Vigo, getting dumped out a round earlier.
Therefore, the Blaugranes had to take the assignment seriously or else succumb to the same fate as their fellow Spanish top-flight clubs.
Let’s take a look at three talking points from the game…
A (vice) captain’s performance from Frenkie
There is so much work that Frenkie de Jong does that often goes unnoticed, but he was certainly noticeable in Tuesday night’s game.
Whether making those lung-bursting runds from deep to supplement the attack, often travelling with the ball himself, or battling hard in midfield and defence to win back possession, the Dutchman was at the heart of everything good that Barca did against Albacete.
Without the calmness of Pedri alongside him, Frenkie was the man for all seasons.
If any young player wants to know what it takes to wear the Barca shirt, get them to spend some time tracking De Jong’s movements in this game.
A masterclass.
Perfect team selection
Barca were made to work for their win against a side that weren’t to be underestimated.
Hansi Flick had to temper his team selection in the knowledge that if he played too many big names on the astro pitch and injuries resulted, he would be castigated by the support.
Equally, by not fielding a decent starting XI, it might be said that he wasn’t showing Albacete the respect they’d earned after dumping out Celta and Real Madrid.
On the night, Flick not only got the initial selection just right, but his subs were also well timed and kept the hosts on the back foot at a time when they were looking to get back into the game.
Cancelo needs work
There’s no doubt that when he’s on his game, there aren’t too many better attacking full-backs than Joao Cancelo.
However, it’s been noticeable since his return from Saudi Arabia, that he’s been off the pace and that has resulted in mistimed tackles and not being able to get up and down the field as required.
Booked in the first half, he was lucky that another challenge, which saw his opposite number writing on the floor, wasn’t frowned upon by the match official.
He needs time to get back to somewhere approaching his best, if indeed he’s able to reach those heights again.
