Koeman turned to his star line-up for refuge

Published on: 28 January 2021

Barcelona should have sorted out their Copa del Rey match against Rayo Vallecano a lot earlier than they did. They could even have been two goals up by half time. However, they suffered once again because of their struggles to score goals. They missed several chances on Wednesday and hit the woodwork three times. Letting opposition off the hook isn't usually a good move in football.

With their first chance, Rayo Vallecano went ahead for a surprise lead. With Ronald Koeman aware that the Copa del Rey is Barcelona's best chance of winning a title this season, he put on Ousmane Dembele, Jordi Alba and Pedri in response. The Dutchman turned to his star line-up for refuge. There was an immediate effect as they equalised moments later and then a great piece of play from Jordi Alba set up Frenkie de Jong for the winner.

The left-back was key to the victory, while Pedri brought a lot to the midfield. You wouldn't think that Barcelona would have to play with all their starters to defeat Rayo Vallecano, but they couldn't solve the problems posed by this game against a team from the second division. But, that's where we're at.

Source: m.allfootballapp.com

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more