The Sheikhs paid 240 million euros for the Spanish Super Cup
Someone will say that it was an El Clasico with a slightly lower value than in La Liga, when the whole world is interested in the clash between Barca and Real. It is worth remembering, however, that the Saudis paid a gigantic sum of EUR 240 million for the six-year right to host the Supercopa, of which a commission of EUR 24 million went to the account of Gerard Pique’s “Kosmos” company as a commission for negotiating a lucrative contract. Just like during the World Cup in Qatar, this time it turned out that the Western world is outraged by the violation of human rights in this part of the world, but only until the sheikhs do not include a sufficient amount in the contract.
SEE ALSO: Szczęsny was sent off with a red card. The Barcelona coach’s answer was clear
Szczęsny’s case is a script for a movie
Coming back to sports, Szczęsny’s case is thrilling. Until October, he led the quiet life of a young retiree. This peace at home was disturbed by one phone call from Robert Lewandowski: “Pack your equipment, we need it after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury.”
When half of Poland decided that Wojtek would jump into the goal after the October break for national team matches, he had to wait not only for the November break, but also until the end of 2024. His adventure with appearances for Barca would probably end with a match during the King’s Cup, with UD Barbastro, from the fourth tier of the competition in Spain, if it weren’t for an accident: being late for Inaki Pena’s pre-match briefing. Coach Hansi Flick decided to withdraw the Spaniard from the starting match for the Supercopa semi-final against Athletic Bilbao as a punishment.
After this one-match ban, Pena was supposed to return between the sticks. However, this did not happen, when Szczęsny blocked the goal in the match against the Basques and was chosen the hero of the match. He kept a clean sheet and scored more passes than in the entire round in Italy, because this is what Flick demands from the goalkeeper. And the player who postponed retirement only for a moment showed that he is able to get out of his comfort zone.
Flick is a tough nut to crack. On the one hand, Szczęsny received a red card for a foul on Kylian Mbappe, but on the other hand, he saved the team in many situations. For example, at the beginning of the second half, when Real was still trying to get into this match.
Moreover, although Pena stopped Mbappe in an incredible way, he conceded a goal from a free kick right after entering the pitch after shooting into the corner he was guarding. He wanted to protect the side covered by the wall, so he didn’t have time to reach the ball. One might get the impression that Szczęsny, who is taller and has greater range, would have saved Rodrygo’s shot.
Raphninha felt like a commodity, today he is the leader
The match was exciting and full of twists. After all, Barca could have been leading 3-0 at the beginning, but Thibaut Courtois was like a wall. Meanwhile, the first foray of the “Royals” gave them a goal by Mbappe, with Balde’s passive attitude.
The “Pride of Catalonia” did not lower its head. An unsignaled “no look pass” pass by Lewandowski and the strength of calm, a light shot in the direction from which the goalkeeper came by Yamal equalized the score, but a penalty by “Lewy” gave the Catalans the lead.
-With this result, it turned out that Real is helpless when it has to attack. Almost every Barca counterattack smelled like a goal. Raphinha, finishing with two goals, confirmed that he had made colossal progress under Flick’s wings. Who knows, maybe he is not the best Barcelona player today and it is no coincidence that he wears the captain’s armband. To think that last season the club wanted to get rid of him, considering him a transfer failure. When reports on this subject were published, the Brazilian complained to the media that he felt “like a commodity” because no one asked him for his opinion.
Hansi Flick prepared and positioned the entire team differently, and Raphinha benefited from it the most. From being the fifth wheel, he became the leader. This is another proof that sometimes it is a big mistake to write off a player who is failing, because it is worth taking a closer look to find the reason for this state of affairs. The coach, who is one of the most important employees of every club, has a huge influence.
Barcelona rebuilt Raphinha and Casado and finally managed to cross the path with Dani Olmo being allowed to play, but another danger awaits them. Ronald Araujo is on the verge of leaving in January, as he feels undervalued, and Juventus is already paying EUR 35 million for him. The 25-year-old Uruguayan does not feel bad in Barcelona, but in Turin he will earn much better. Due to their previous profligacy, Barca has financial limits imposed on them, which means they are unable to give a raise even to a tough defender like Araujo.
The leader not only in scorers, but also in terms of earnings in the team’s locker room, is Robert Lewandowski, who has been collecting EUR 32 million since this season.
Real Madrid has other problems. Its budget looks much more impressive than the middle of the second line, which, after the departure of Toni Kroos and the late autumn phase of Luka Modric, no longer provides the quality for which the “Royal” were famous in the last 11 years, when they won the Champions League Cup six times. Even Carlo Ancelotti’s coaching power cannot bridge the gap between Real and Barcelona in terms of combination play. The difference between the eternal rivals was large yesterday, even despite the fact that Mbappe played the best match since he switched from Paris to Madrid.
Michał Probierz can learn from Hansi Flick how to use Lewandowski
However, these are the “Royals’” problems. We can enjoy a shirt closer to the body – Lewandowski and Szczęsny are very important links in one of the best clubs in the world. In 27 matches for Barca this season, “Lewy” scored as many as 26 goals, or almost one per match. We should wish the coach of the Polish national team, Michał Probierz, to be able to use the potential of the phenomenon of our times, at least to an approximate extent.
Go to Polsatsport.pl
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