Three things we learned as Barcelona defeat Real Sociedad 2-1 in La Liga | OneFootball

FC Barcelona faced Real Sociedad in La Liga on Sunday night, knowing that a win would take them to the top of the table. Real Madrid had suffered a drubbing against Atletico Madrid the previous day, and this was a glorious chance for the Catalan club to press home the advantage.

Hansi Flick’s men played at the Montjuic Stadium for the first time this season. It was an important game, considering they had lost to Real Sociedad last year, one of the first defeats under Flick, and the team managed to secure the three points.

The German coach made quite a few rotations, with the PSG game looming midweek, and the likes of Roony Bardghji and Dro were handed starts. Ultimately, Barcelona needed yet another comeback to secure the win.

With all this in mind, here are three things we learned from Barcelona’s 2–1 victory over Real Sociedad at Montjuic in La Liga.

La Masia heritage

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La Masia has been Barcelona’s saviour in recent seasons. The academy has provided numerous top talents to the first team, including Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, and Marc Bernal, among others.

Last night against Real Sociedad, Flick gave the talented Dro his first-team debut. The surprise was that he was thrown straight into the starting line-up, and the 17-year-old impressed in his first-half showing.

Perhaps unlucky to be hooked at half-time, Dro produced delicate touches and flicks and grew into the game well. Although he was slightly nervous to start with, the signs are extremely positive for the future.

With Fermin nursing an injury and Dani Olmo’s minutes being managed carefully, there is a good chance Flick gives Dro more time in the coming weeks, either as a starter or off the bench, and let us hope he takes it.

Lamine needed just about a minute

Lamine Yamal had missed Barcelona’s previous few games with an injury and, last night, he made it back into the squad after being given the green light.

Flick started Roony on the right wing against La Real, and the young Swede grew into the game, even coming close to giving Barcelona the lead. Around the hour mark, he was replaced by Lamine Yamal.

The Spaniard did not take even a minute to make a telling impact. Seconds after his introduction, Lamine dropped a shoulder, burst to the byline, and delivered a perfect cross for Robert Lewandowski to head home.

In the half-hour he spent on the pitch, the teenager created multiple moments of danger, had a brilliant goal ruled out, and even teed up a move that Lewandowski would finish 11 times out of 10. What a player.

Running out of superlatives for Frenkie x Pedri

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Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, Barcelona’s holding midfielders, are doing remarkable things on the pitch. They are running the show this season in a manner reminiscent of Xavi and Iniesta in their pomp.

It is hard to recall the last time Pedri delivered a poor display, and he was rightly awarded the man of the match against La Real. Frenkie’s stock, meanwhile, continues to rise with every passing game.

De Jong has become calmness personified in the pivot. He controls the midfield, knowing exactly when to keep the ball and when to release it, and his defensive awareness has improved markedly.

Against Real Sociedad, the duo combined to play more passes than the entire opposition team, another display of midfield brilliance. Let us hope the two are at it again when they face PSG later this week.