>

FC Barcelona Vs. Espanyol: Flick Makes Rotations

FC Barcelona Vs. Espanyol: Flick Makes Rotations

Xavi Hernandez’s Team Gets Comfortable Win

FC Barcelona cruised to a comfortable 3-1 victory over city rivals Espanyol in their third pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday. Goals from Memphis Depay, Andreas Christensen, and Ansu Fati secured the win for the Blaugrana, who controlled the game from start to finish.

Rotation Policy

Despite the comfortable win, the game was most notable for the number of rotations made by Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez. The Spanish coach made 10 changes to the team that started the previous friendly against Juventus, with only Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, and Pedri retaining their places.

The decision to rotate the squad so heavily was a clear indication that Xavi is keen to give all of his players a chance to impress during pre-season. With the start of the new La Liga season just over two weeks away, the Barcelona coach is eager to assess all of his options before making any final decisions about his starting lineup.

Comfortable Win

Despite the number of changes, Barcelona still looked like the dominant team against Espanyol. The Blaugrana controlled possession for the majority of the game and created a number of chances, with Depay, Christensen, and Fati all finding the net.

Espanyol offered little threat in attack and were fortunate to only concede three goals. The Catalan minnows are still in the early stages of their pre-season preparations and will need to improve significantly if they are to avoid a relegation battle this season.

Conclusion

Barcelona’s comfortable win over Espanyol was a positive sign for Xavi Hernandez as he prepares his team for the new season. The Spanish coach was able to rotate his squad heavily and still see his team perform well, which suggests that he has a number of options to choose from when selecting his starting lineup.

Barcelona will now turn their attention to their final pre-season friendly against Manchester City on Wednesday. The game will be a stern test for the Blaugrana, but it will also give Xavi Hernandez another opportunity to assess his squad before the start of the new season.