August 09, (THEWILL) – Barcelona capped off their pre-season with a thrilling 4-2 comeback win against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening, in the annual Joan Gamper Trophy match at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Despite trailing for much of the match, Xavi’s side showed their quality in the closing stages to secure victory in their final friendly before the new La Liga season. Spurs took a surprise 2-1 lead into halftime after a brace from Oliver Skipp, cancelling out Robert Lewandowski’s early opener. However, Barcelona’s substitutes made an impact in the second half, with Ferran Torres equalising in the 80th minute before late goals from Ansu Fati and Ez Abde completed the comeback.
While Barcelona will be delighted with the result, manager Xavi Hernandez will know there is still work to be done, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Tottenham carved out several dangerous chances on the counterattack and Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde showed some frailties at centre-back. Going forward Barcelona looked sharp, with Lewandowski, Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele posing plenty of problems for Tottenham’s makeshift backline.
If Xavi can shore up the defense ahead of their La Liga opener, Barcelona will be optimistic about challenging for the title again this season. For Tottenham and manager Ange Postecoglou, the loss emphasises the need for the reinforcements they announced on ahead of the English Premier League kickoff next weekend. .
Despite the defeat, Postecoglou will take encouragement from his team’s performance for large stretches of the match. There will be further refinements as they integrate their new players into his formation but the uncertainty about Harry Kane’s future still hangs around the north London side.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
