Barcelona got their campaign off to a positive start yesterday with a 5-4 extra time victory over Sevilla in the European Super Cup. Messi banged home two awesome free kicks and Ever Banega got the game off to a crackling start with a free kick of his own (see video below). Barca dominated the rest of the first half, and Rafinha snagged a goal just before the whistle. Barca came out and looked strong in the 2nd half, getting gifted a goal that Suarez put thru. Then, the legs wheels came off, and Sevilla got back 3 goals, pushing the game into Extra Time. My DVR cutoff the recording at that point, but after another nice Messi free kick, Pedro jumped on the rebound for the game winner. Very nice way to send him off to England (presumably) where I will certainly continue to cheer for the guy (provided it's not to Chelsea).
Next up, the Spanish Supercup against Bilbao on Friday. Crazy short turnaround time, and Barca is starting to face injuries (Alba and Neymar) and their summer signings cannot play until January. Will be interesting to see if Lucho rotates his squad in the first half of the season like he did last year. My guess is that he was figuring out his best XI last year, but also saw how beneficial it was to have everyone healthy and rested, so hopefully he will continue to give guys throughout the squad opportunities.
http://screamer.deadspin.com/lionel-messi-and-ever-banega-are-in-the-middle-of-a-fre-1723442325
Edit: I still dislike Ter Stegen in net.
Next up, the Spanish Supercup against Bilbao on Friday. Crazy short turnaround time, and Barca is starting to face injuries (Alba and Neymar) and their summer signings cannot play until January. Will be interesting to see if Lucho rotates his squad in the first half of the season like he did last year. My guess is that he was figuring out his best XI last year, but also saw how beneficial it was to have everyone healthy and rested, so hopefully he will continue to give guys throughout the squad opportunities.
http://screamer.deadspin.com/lionel-messi-and-ever-banega-are-in-the-middle-of-a-fre-1723442325
Edit: I still dislike Ter Stegen in net.