Barcelona fans will be delighted by the form of Ousmane Dembele this season as the Frenchman’s improved fitness seems to be contributing to his displays on the pitch.
Juve star Cristiano Ronaldo might have been absent due to his positive COVID-19 test but the Blaugrana faithful will still be delighted with their win over the Serie A giants.
With Donald Koeman at the helm, Barcelona seem to be playing with a lot more freedom in the final third and Dembele seems to be at the forefront of this just as much as club icon Lionel Messi is.
Dembele scored the opener against Juventus and while his shot took a major deflection, leaving Wojciech Szczęsny rooted to the spot, his two-footed dribbling meant he was able to wriggle away from two defenders before firing at goal.
With Griezmann providing simple yet effective link-up play at the point of Barcelona’s attack, it’s Dembele’s pace and movement that has created all the space for Messi and co. to move the ball in.
Last season, the Catalonians seemed to struggle against smart and disciplined defenders due to the lack of pace in a forward line that had Suarez, Coutinho and Griezmann playing ahead of Messi.
The Argentine’s only option in behind at times was Jordi Alba which in turn resulted in the left flank of Barcelona’s defence exposed and vulnerable due to the lack of pace at the back.
Koeman might have found a way to bring the best out his attackers but his side are still vulnerable at the back which was exposed by the hattrick of offside goals that Alvaro Morata was able to score.
Of course, they were all ruled out but fine margins prevented Barcelona from losing 3-1 after taking a 1-0 lead just as like the El Clasico inflicted on them by Real Madrid at the weekend.
It’s never good to get caught up in hypotheticals and Barcelona fans will be keen to focus on the positives after a big win over a talented side especially now that Josep Bartomeu and his cronies have resigned.
