Three things we learned from Barca 2-1 Getafe
Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images
The hosts picked up a tense win at the Camp Nou
Alba injury means opportunity knocks for Junior Firpo
Barcelona picked up yet another injury on Saturday as Jordi Alba limped off after 22 minutes with a groin strain that is likely to keep him out of action for a little bit.
Junior Firpo was the man to replace him and picked up his first assist of the season with the pass to Sergi Roberto to score Barcelona’s second.
⚽️
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) February 15, 2020
✅ First goal of the season for @SergiRoberto10
✅ First assist of the season for @JuniorFirpo03
Joy for @FCBarcelona! #BarçaGetafe pic.twitter.com/GHSKQVjXcs
The left-back should have had another one too. He set up Antoine Griezmann for a great chance but saw the Frenchman blaze wildly over the bar from inside the penalty area.
Junior spoke after the match and made it pretty clear he would be doing his best to stake a claim for a starting spot while Alba is sidelined.
“I am ready for the games that are coming up, and it will be a big month for the club. The more games I play, I will be more confident, but I want to make the most of any opportunity.”
The 23-year-old always looked to be one of the winners from Quique Setien’s appointment, given they had worked together at Real Betis, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on if he does start crucial games against Napoli and Real Madrid.
Angel Rodriguez knows how to score at Camp Nou
Angel Rodriguez had been repeatedly linked with a move to Barcelona ahead of Saturday’s game as the Catalan giants search for cover up front after injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.
The 32-year-old is available for just €10 million and has had a decent season for Getafe, scoring 10 league goals in 21 appearances.
His latest came in some style on Saturday at the Camp Nou as he produced a cushioned volley to steer Jaime Mata’s cross past Marc-Andre ter Stegen and put Getafe back in the game.
✨ – @Roger27M
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) February 15, 2020
✨ – Angel Rodriguez
✨ – @GerardMoreno9
The race to be the top Spanish goalscorer in #LaLigaSantander is heating up! pic.twitter.com/3DgDU9Naeg
He nearly scored another minutes later too but was denied by another great piece of goalkeeping from Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Getafe president Miguel Torres said before the match that Barcelona haven’t told him they want to sign Angel, but the striker’s goal at the Camp Nou may help earn a move to the Catalan giants.
Messi’s goal drought doesn’t matter
Lione Messi failed to find the back of the net again on Saturday which means it’s now four games in a row for the GOAT, his worst La Liga drought since 2014, but it really doesn’t matter because he still made all the difference.
The captain set Antoine Griezmann up for the opening goal with a brilliant one-touch pass that sent the Frenchman through with only the goalkeeper to beat.
That’s now six assists in his last three league games, and he also had more shots, take-ons and created more chances than anyone else:
Lionel Messi's game by numbers vs. Getafe:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 15, 2020
• Most shots (6)
• Most take-ons completed (5)
• Joint-most fouls won (5)
• Most chances created (3)
• Most shots on target (2)
An assist in each of his last six games in LaLiga. pic.twitter.com/33jBAoquOC
Getafe boss Jose Bordalas hit the nail on the head with his comments after the match: “We lost the game in eight minutes, because of the inspiration of the best player in the world that is Messi.”
Messi’s lack of goals is a little curious but he was still Barca’s best player on the pitch against Getafe, and you sense it won’t be long before he finds the back of the net once again.
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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