Against an opponent who was not considered too tough, Robert Lewandowski and his teammates had to defend themselves at many times away from home. One of the home team's attacks in the first half was concretized by Unai Lopez's opening goal in the 9th minute.
For the remainder of the first half, Barcelona also failed to score. Worry began to appear on the faces of the Cules in the De Vallecas stands. It was not until the second half that Pedri brought the equalizer in the 60th minute. However, Barca wanted to win away from home, not a draw. Therefore, captain Hansi Flick decided to let rookie Dani Olmo on the field. In the end, it was right.
In the 83rd minute, a smart finish with a low range from Olmo was enough for the " Catalan giants" to win their third consecutive match in La Liga. Since the beginning of the season, they have been the only team to have earned 9 absolute points.
The match against Rayo Vallecano is an opportunity for Olmo to show that he is fine. A few days ago, the Spanish striker complained about not being registered for a long time. There are even many news sites in Catalunya that say Olmo will leave Barca just exactly 1 week after the club announced him as a rookie.
However, Andreas Christensen's injury has opened up opportunities for Dani Olmo. The Camp Nou team temporarily put the salary and allowance for Christensen on hold when the centre-back recovers. From now until then, they will have to find a way to register Olmo for a long time, regardless of whether Christensen plays or not.
It is expected that if they do not find a way to register Olmo early, Barca will be forced to remove this midfielder from the squad when the winter market begins. However, that is the matter of the future for 4 months. At this moment, fans of the Camp Nou team only think about whether Olmo will play or not and how he will play.
Before the 26-year-old midfielder entered the field, Barca played quite hard. Although they still passed and controlled the ball a lot, the away team did not show any effectiveness. The EURO 2024 effect remains as Olmo enters the field and promotes his teammates Lamine Yamal and Pedri.
With a lackluster "number 10" replacement for Ferran Torres, right from the first shot, Olmo entered the penalty area and almost brought Barcelona a penalty. A few minutes later, the midfielder hit the crossbar before scoring in the 83rd minute to bring home 3 points. From the moment he entered the field until the end of the match, Olmo had 39 touches, passing 21 times with an accuracy of 84%. In addition, he also successfully dribbled the ball twice.
On the coaching bench, Hansi Flick clearly showed his satisfaction. Dani Olmo is a versatile player, can play in many positions but the "number 10" role is still what Flick is most looking forward to. Finally, the German coach was reassured.
"When Olmo was put on the pitch, everyone could see that Barcelona controlled the ball much better. His ball control skills in front of the opponent's penalty area are excellent. Not only that, Olmo can also score. For a simple midfielder, it is rare and Olmo is very good at doing things like that" - Flick shared.
