Martin Braithwaite, The Ideal successor to Luis Suarez
Martin Braithwaite has always delivered impressive performances ever since his arrival as a replacement for the then injured Luis Suarez. The Danish footballer has made it clear that his intentions are to succeed at Camp Nou and he showed exactly that against Mallorca.
Braithwaite’s explosive pace was clearly evident in his earlier features for Barca as their substitute but he also displayed his ability to start a match as a solid no. 9. The forward not only managed to score as a striker and force the opponent’s defense line behind in a similar fashion to Suarez, but he also adapted to Griezmann’s substitution for Suarez and showed his versatility as a left-winger.
The Catalans are pushing hard to sign Lautaro Martinez for 111 million euros but perhaps they must give Braithwaite a much deserving chance for that role as he has shown he is capable of performing when given enough resources and faith.
Martin was delighted after scoring his first goal in a Barca shirt despite his lack of celebration in the moment.
"“As an offensive player you want to score goals and I’ve been working a lot in this break, and I’ve been really looking forward to playing this game and hopefully getting a goal and I’m happy, I’m really happy.” Source Goal"
Antoine Griezmann, however, flopped against Mallorca and might be at the risk of losing his 120 million euro spot in Camp Nou after his lack of offensive contribution.
Lionel Messi in Great Shape
Messi was seen with a clean shave and his old hairstyle against Mallorca bringing back memories of his youth days at the club. Though he was seen on the backfoot for most of the time in the first half, he showed that he is capable of impacting the game as always.
He often dropped back to the midfield to begin an attacking play with his runs and through balls that often ended up in either an assist or a goal for the Argentine captain. His goal in the 93rd minute meant that Messi has scored 20+ goals in every season since the 2008/09 campaign, which is now 12 consecutive seasons.
Which Barca player impressed the most against Mallorca?