Three talking points as Barcelona secure 3-1 win over Vissel Kobe in pre-season friendly | OneFootball

It has been a long time since Hansi Flick’s FC Barcelona was seen in action. Fans eagerly awaited the prospect of the same against Vissel Kobe yesterday, and it is safe to say that the team did not disappoint, securing a 3-1 win over the Japanese side.

Goals from Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji, and Pedro Fernandez, aka Dro, helped Flick’s men beat Kobe, to kick-start their pre-season on the perfect note. The German coach used two different XIs at the start of both halves and even made more changes late in the game.

Barcelona went into the half-time break with the score level at 1-1. Eric had netted for the Spanish side, but an error from Pau Cubarsi saw Kobe equalise. However, the second half belonged to Hansi Flick’s men, who showed no respite.

With all this in mind, here are three talking points from Sempre Barca as Barcelona managed to secure the 3-1 win to kick-start pre-season proceedings with a victory over Vissel Kobe.

1. Encouraging debuts

What a debut that was from Roony Bardghji! (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

Barcelona have so far announced three arrivals this summer – Joan Garcia, Marcus Rashford, and Roony Bardghji. All three players got to play yesterday against Vissel Kobe and had very encouraging debuts for the club.

Joan started the game, wearing the #1 jersey in the absence of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, and he looked very assured. The Spaniard made a save very early in the game, and despite the goal that he conceded, he continued to impress with both his shot-stopping and ball-playing.

Marcus Rashford came on at the start of the second half for Raphinha and did what he does best. The Englishman was very direct after coming on, and he played close to 30 minutes, managing to provide an excellent through ball in the lead-up to Roony Bardghji’s goal.

The star of the show, undoubtedly though, was Roony Bardghji. The Swedish youngster would have known that this pre-season is very important for him to get a place in the first team, and he ended the match against Vissel Kobe as the best player for Barcelona. Much deserved goal and very promising debuts!

2. La Masia – the gift that keeps on giving

Every pre-season at Barcelona is as much about preparing the first team as it is about identifying the next big La Masia prospect set to take the world by storm. A few seasons ago, it was Gavi; then came Fermín, Lamine, and last year, Bernal and Casado.

So, even as Barcelona planned their Asian pre-season tour, the excitement was around who the potential new breakout star of La Masia could be. Jofre Torrents had a very good game yesterday, but the stage was set for someone else to steal the show.

With around 10 minutes left in the game, Flick handed Pedro Fernández — better known as Dro — his unofficial Barcelona debut. He replaced Rashford on the left wing and, within minutes, was dribbling past Kobe defenders as if they didn’t exist.

The icing on the cake came in the form of a cleared ball from the box that fell right in Dro’s path. Without an iota of hesitation, his swung his right foot at it and caught the ball so cleanly that it nestled into the corner of the net. With that moment, the 17-year-old had announced his arrival.

3. Signs of rust, but a lot of promise

Most of the names that started the game for Barcelona are likely to be in Hansi Flick’s first-choice XI. While they did show some promise, it was clear that the team was rusty and did not play at their best. Lamine Yamal, for example, did not have his greatest game.

On the other hand, the cohesion looked much better in the second half despite some of those players playing together for the very first time. The midfield of Frenkie de Jong, Marc Casado, and Dani Olmo did not miss a beat.

Roony played the right-wing role like he had been doing it for years, and Jofre Torrents showcased why he would be an ideal left-back replacement for Alejandro Balde. Even Rashford showed flashes of brilliance.

Thus, on one hand, Flick would be happy with the promise on display in the second half, but also understand a bit of rustiness that ensued in the first half. This isn’t a major concern, and things are bound to get better in the games to come.