Barcelona star angry with Xavi after being substituted in the 60th minute against Almeria - Reports
Ferran Torres was visibly angry with Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez's decision to substitute him against UD Almeria on Sunday (5 November), as per Mundo Deportivo.
Torres started down the left flank with Robert Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele as his partners in a front three. The Spaniard had a couple of big chances to score during the game but failed to get his name on the scoresheet.
Barcelona took the lead in the 48th minute via Dembele and with the clock crossing the 60-minute mark, Torres was brought off. Ansu Fati took his place for the remainder of the game and made an instant impact after coming on.
His shot led to Frenkie de Jong's goal which put Barca 2-0 up in the 62nd minute. However, it was the former Manchester City winger's reaction after being brought off that led many to wonder if he was angry at Xavi.
🗣️ Xavi: “People value Ferrán based on goals but we value him for other things, he gives us a lot!” https://t.co/c5vlgj4xcE
It was clear that he wanted to stay on the pitch longer. His dreary face on the bench was perhaps due to his frustrations with himself for not scoring despite having multiple chances to do so.
Moreover, Xavi's decision could have been influenced by the fact that the Spaniard was booked in the ninth minute of the game. Torres was the star of the show when Barcelona beat Viktoria Plzen 4-2 on 1 November in the final UEFA Champions League game of the campaign.
He scored a brace against the Czech club but Barca were relegated to the UEFA Europa League nonetheless. Overall, he has netted five goals and laid out only one assist in 17 games across competitions this season.
Barcelona pay fitting tribute to Gerard Pique in Almeria win
The match against Almeria at the Spotify Nou Camp was billed as legendary Spanish defender Gerard Pique's last game as a professional footballer.
Pique went through all the emotions after the final game of his career 🥺 https://t.co/xIr4YrOZOu
The Catalan giants wore special one-off jerseys for the game as a tribute to Pique and the 35-year-old was named in the starting XI. He had a good game and helped his team keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 win.
He was brought off in the 84th minute to a standing ovation from the entirety of the stadium as players from both sides embraced him one by one. Pique has now been released from his contract which, sentiments aside, will help the Catalan giants a great deal financially.