5 Barcelona players who underperformed against Galatasaray | UEFA Europa League Round of 16
Seeking to secure a commanding lead, Barcelona welcomed Galatasaray to the Camp Nou in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie on Thursday night. Unfortunately for the Catalan outfit, they failed to produce their best football against the Turkish giants and were held to a goalless draw in their backyard.
Barcelona coach Xavi opted for an aggressive lineup against the Super Lig club, leaving Sergio Busquets on the bench and bringing in Nico Gonzalez. As expected, the hosts started dominating proceedings from the start and looked effortless on the ball. They pegged Galatasaray back, but could not find the final defense-piercing pass.
Their first goalbound effort came in the 27th minute when Memphis Depay took a curling free-kick from a dangerous position. The visiting goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who is currently on loan from Barca, was up to the task and parried the ball away.
Galatasaray carved open a chance of their own eight minutes before half-time through Kerem Akturkoglu. Eric Garcia popped up with a crucial block to deflect his goal-bound effort over the crossbar.
Barcelona made three substitutions at the start of the second half, but still could not force the opening goal. Ousmane Dembele and Adama Traore saw their efforts blocked, while Busquets’ glancing header was pushed over the bar by Pena. In the 75th minute, Frenkie de Jong slammed his effort against the post from close range. It was the closest the hosts came to breaking the deadlock on Thursday night.
Here are five Barca stars who failed to make their team proud against Galatasaray in the Europa League:
#5 Memphis Depay
Vying with an in-form Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a place in the team, Memphis Depay needed to produce something special against Galatasaray to win Xavi’s faith.
He drew a couple of fine saves from Pena on Thursday night, but that was as good as it got for him.
Image: Iñaki Peña’s insane save on Depay’s shot from earlier. https://t.co/Xqzo9SZ5rK
He regularly dropped deep to fetch the ball but lacked the ferocity to carry it into the packed Galatasaray box. Depay lost possession 14 times and completed only one of his seven attempted crosses.
The Dutchman’s influence waned in the second half and he was eventually subbed out for Aubameyang in the 61st minute.
#4 Sergino Dest
With Dani Alves not included in the squad for the Europa League, Sergino Dest got another opportunity to shine in a crucial knockout round fixture.
Except for a poor tackle that opened up space for Akturkoglu in the first half, he did fairly well at the back. Unfortunately, he provided precious little going forward.
High hopes tied with Sergino Dest as he gets a chance to play with and learn from the most decorated RB of all time👀 https://t.co/pMboO6UXTX
Against the Turkish outfit, Dest lost five ground duels, gave away possession 14 times, and failed to produce even a single key pass or an accurate cross. A forgettable outing from the young right-back.