The “new coach, sure victory” was not fulfilled yesterday in San Mamés. Barça passed over Athletic de Marcelino without having to do anything special. The advantage of having Messi in your team and that the Argentine also has the company of Pedri, a real player, Dembèlè and company do the rest.
The Asturian coach was able to see in first person that Garitano's football idea was perhaps not so far-fetched having what he has in his squad. The bellows gave the lions to endure fifteen minutes at a high pace in the first half and ten in the second. Williams' early goal was a mere mirage.
Barça turned the scoreboard around with hardly any disheveled. The lions, withdrawn near the area in two lines of four, stopped showing signs of life in attack. Quite the opposite of its rivals. The problem this time was that it was neither attacked nor defended well. Unai Simón's performance was also somewhat disconcerting. Muniain's final goal only served to make up the defeat. Reality bathroom.
The Marcelino era began with a starting eleven very similar to the one that Garitano fired. The new rojiblanco coach only made a change with respect to the Bilbao line-up last Sunday against Elche. Capa thus occupied the Plaza de Berenguer.
The other notable novelty of departure was the change of system. The lions formed with a clear 1-4-4-2 with Capa and De Marcos composing the right wing, Muniain in the left-handed interior and Raúl García and Williams above together in the center. The departure of the lions was electric.
Williams took advantage of a good ball into the hole of Raúl García in minute 3 to accommodate the ball and beat Ter Stegen with a low shot. Yuri finished shortly after to the side of the net. Williams, to the hands. Until then, minute 12, the Bilbao deployment gave of itself to the counterattack.
Barça adjusted pieces back and in the middle and began to project in attack. Dembèlè put Unai Simón to the test and Pedri, after a Messi-De Jong combination with a false start from the local goal, scored at his pleasure with the head. Yuri, to make matters worse, had to be substituted injured. Balenziaga took his place.
The Barça felt more and more comfortable before the withdrawal of an Athletic already lacking freshness and speed to do damage in the exits. Pedri and Messi, in the midst of Barça's control and dominance phase, uncovered the jar of their soccer essences with a goal from the Argentine after a masterful pass from the Canary Islands. Unai Simón, yes, returned to stay half way out. The best thing for the lions before the break was that Messi forgave one of those that he does not usually
forgive.
The second half returned a rojiblanco team ready to take a step forward. Mere firework. The Bilbao impulse lasted less than ten minutes this time. The Catalans, yesterday in bright yellow, chose to wait behind and let their creative men take advantage of the free spaces they were working on in the wide area.
Messi took over the leading role from there. First with a disallowed goal, then with a shot at the post, later with his second goal of the night and third for his team, then with another shot at the post … Recital of the Argentine against an Athletic unable to let him generate play and danger before the framework of Unai Simón.
Marcelino, with 1-3 in the absence of less than half an hour, shot Dani García and Berenguer. After Morcillo. The classic was already seen for sentence. Muniain's goal at the end served to mask the defeat.
Athletic (2): Unai Simón; Capa, Nuñez, Iñigo Martínez, Yuri (Balenziaga 30 '); De Marcos (Berenguer 65 '), Vencedor, Vesga (Dani García 65'), Muniain; Williams and Raúl García
Barça (1): Ter Stegen; Dest (Mingueza 75 '), Araujo, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Dembèlè (Braithwaite 75 '), Messi and Griezmann.
Goals: 1-0: min. 3; Williams. 1-1: min. 14; Pedri. 1-2: min. 38; Messi. 1-3: min. 62, Messi.
Referee: Del Cerro Grande (Madrid Committee). He admonished Vesga, Lenglet and Dani García.
Incidents: Match behind closed doors in San Mamés.