Barcelona 1-0 Espanyol: 5 talking points as Memphis Depay penalty kicks off Xavi era with win | La Liga 2021-22
Barcelona overcame a spirited Espanyol 1-0 at Camp Nou in La Liga as the Xavi era kickstarted with a nervy win. Memphis Depay scored the only goal of the game from the spot. But the visitors were left frustrated after squandering some good chances towards the end.
Raul De Tomas struck the post twice either side of an effort from Landry Dimata, whose header from close range also came off the upright. The Blaugrana, though, would be happy to return to winning ways after five games. There were plenty of positives to draw from the match and perhaps a glimpse into the Barcelona future under Xavi too.
With the narrow win, Barcelona moved above Rayo Vallecano to sixth place in the league table with 20 points from 13 games while Espanyol dropped to 11th. On that note, here are the five major talking points from the Barcelona derby:
#5 Barcelona played like Barcelona
After a long time, Barcelona looked like themselves for once. That's because the side played with a real plan of action and executed it to the hilt.
Dominating possession, the Blaugrana pressed Espanyol with real intent. Midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Nico Gonzalez were given the license to break forward, and hit Espanyol on the break.
Putting more pressure from the flanks were Jordi Alba and debutant Ilias Akhomach. They offered great width with their purposeful runs, looking to stretch the Espanyol defence out.
First LaLiga win in over a month.
First LaLiga clean sheet since September.
Xavi has arrived 👏 https://t.co/qcjGcyifu9
However, the most touching moment for Barcelona fans would be Xavi gesticulating to his players from the touchline. During drink breaks, he also called over Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Eric Garcia to give them instructions.
With Ronald Koeman mostly cutting a stone-cold figure on the bench, the Blaugrana faithful will be excused for feeling they have a manager once again after watching Xavi.
#4 Xavi shows faith in youth
Speaking of Xavi, the new Barcelona manager appeared to show a lot of faith in young blood. That was, albeit, expected from someone like him who embodies the Barcelona culture.
His first line-up as Barcelona manager featured as many as five players under the age of 23. That also included two 17-year-olds, Gavi and debutant Ilias Akhomach, bringing a unique blend of youth and experience.
Ilias Akhomach will be the 659th player to feature for Barcelona in the history of La Liga. https://t.co/yxBiRwFhXQ
Xavi had watched Akhomach with Barcelona B soon after he arrived, with the youngster netting twice. That earned him a call-up to the senior team, and he delivered another electric performance.
Gavi and Gonzalez were good, too, as the former Barcelona captain fielded eight La Masia graduates. That's likely an indication that he's going to lean a lot on homegrown talent going forward.