In the new season, Barcelona, who have not yet experienced defeat in the current season, started off with three wins in the Spanish league and successfully began the Champions League tournament.
Although Barcelona's victory against APOEL Nicosia was modest, and many fans expected a more dominant performance, football experts note one characteristic of the new Barcelona coach - Luis Enrique is very bold in experimenting in the field.
Barca, which has not been able to boast of a strong defense in recent years, has not conceded a single goal this season, with two team goalkeepers already defending the goal, and the rotation of players makes it difficult for opponents to predict the starting lineup. For example, in the match against APOEL Nicosia, only two players from the Catalan club's starting eleven (Lionel Messi and Munir El Haddadi) had played in the Spanish league match against Bilbao Athletic on the weekend.
Nine new Barcelona players, although not demonstrating hurricane speed, immediately pushed the opponents into their half, gained a playing advantage, scored a goal, even if only one, did not lose initiative, and successfully finished the match. However, at the end of the game, the team from Cyprus launched a dangerous attack, which could have equalized the score, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who was bored for more than a half, remained alert and repelled the shot.
"I don't tell my players which one of them will go on the field. The same rule applies to goalkeepers, although they play in a specific position. I have three great goalkeepers in the team and I want each of them to be constantly prepared. I do not agree with the fixed principle that there must be a 'number one' and a 'number two' in the team. This is an unsuccessful cliché. Barcelona doesn't have such goalkeepers, so Jordi Masip will definitely have the opportunity to demonstrate his skills on the field," said Barcelona's coach.
Luis Enrique did not rush to criticize his team's players for scoring only one goal against APOEL.
"It is difficult to attack when ten opponent footballers are almost in line with the ball and do nothing but defend. We will show our players episodes where they need to make unconventional decisions. This is not done because they play poorly, but because we simply cannot afford to stand still. We must move forward and improve," the strategist said.
The coach also expressed his opinion on the match against APOEL Nicosia: "Perhaps it was not the most beautiful match for the spectators, but we coaches get nervous when things do not go as we planned. Yes, I changed nine players, if we compare the lineup to the one that played against Athletic on the weekend. Maybe because of this rotation, Barcelona did not play the dynamic football that fans love, but I want to say that I made these changes for the sake of the team. I do not intend to give up rotation, although sometimes I may make mistakes. We cannot win every time with a score of 3:0 or 4:0, but I need every player and I trust them all without exception."
fcbarcelona.lt
