Barcelona's New Signings Tested: German and English Speedsters Deliver 1 Goal and 2 Assists; Is Rodri Exempt from Evaluation?

On August 24 Beijing time, Barcelona defeated Elche 5-0 in La Liga. Under normal circumstances, the first competitive match of the season is seen as a chance to evaluate a club's new summer signings. However, unlike Real Madrid previously sending all six new signings onto the pitch, Barcelona held something back, yet the results appeared even better.

The €60 million Rodri did not play in this match, but the Ballon d'Or + European Championship Golden Ball + World Cup Golden Ball winner does not really seem to need the term 'evaluation'. This summer, he had just won the World Cup together with most of Barcelona's main players. Joan Garcia, Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Pedri, Gavi, Olmo and Yamal were all his championship teammates. Fermin only narrowly missed out on selection, but he used two goals in this match to show how much motivation can come from the 'awkwardness of having no World Cup title' that he had been mocked for throughout half the summer.

Of course, Rodri's actual situation is that he had an extended World Cup holiday and was recovering from back surgery, so he was not included in the squad for this match. Reports said Flick would only allow him to join full team training on Monday, August 24, and he could have the chance to make his Barcelona debut before the September international break.

The 18-year-old Hamza, who cost only €1.5 million, also did not appear in this match, but he had already proven himself during the pre-season friendlies and was originally brought in as a substitute option.

Barcelona's biggest objective in the summer market was to find a true center forward, a replacement for Lewandowski. However, their pursuits of Alvarez and Lautaro did not progress smoothly. In this match, they deployed Raphinha in that position, and he recorded two goals and one assist.

Whether it is the €80 million Gordon or the €22 million Adeyemi, although both can play on the wing or centrally, strictly speaking they are still substitutes prepared by Barcelona for Raphinha.

Adeyemi started and played 65 minutes, scoring Barcelona's first competitive goal for the club in the 45+3rd minute after receiving an assist from Raphinha. In addition, he attempted four dribbles and completed two successful dribbles, both the highest figures in the match.

Gordon was not brought on until the 65th minute, but he quickly assisted Raphinha in the 67th minute and assisted Fermin in the 71st minute, helping Barcelona extend the scoreline and set the result. His individual statistics included a 100% passing success rate and two key passes.

During the pre-season friendly stage, some Spanish media outlets had already stated that Barcelona's main attacking threat came from Gordon. The Englishman lived up to expectations by quickly proving this in a La Liga competitive match.