Fermin Lopez’s performance in new role could spell trouble for out-of-favor Barcelona duo | OneFootball

Although not as high-profile a match as some other games that FC Barcelona have played in the last few weeks, including against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, the UEFA Champions League tie against Red Star Belgrade was still a notable one.

It was in this game that the Blaugrana team scored its 700th UCL goal, while Robert Lewandowski also reached 99 UCL goals with his brace.

This game was also a memorable one for another Barcelona player, Fermin Lopez, who made his 50th official appearance with the first team in this game and also scored his first goal of the season.

Another factor that made this game unique for the La Masia graduate was his position on the pitch, as Hansi Flick positioned him as a false left-winger, a position that he had not played in as yet this season.

The midfielder entered the pitch in the 68th minute, replacing Pedri. At the same time, Dani Olmo also got on the field as he replaced Raphinha.

With Marc Casado and Frenkie de Jong already on the pitch, Dani Olmo was expected to take Raphinha’s position on the left, as he has already played in this position in his career.

However, it was Fermin Lopez who got on the left wing and took full advantage of this opportunity by scoring a goal with a shot inside the area.

But as SPORT has noted, this performance from Fermin Lopez could negatively impact other Barcelona squad members who are already struggling for game time.

One such player is Ansu Fati, who remained on the bench for the entire game against Red Star Belgrade. Similarly, Pau Victor was only given the last 12 minutes on the pitch.”

Keeping in view the surplus of players available for the midfield position, Flick is expected to play some of them in other forward positions to keep them in rotation. But this will impact other players, as was the case with Fati and Victor in the Red Star Belgrade game.