RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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FC Barcelona sold their top two strikers from last season and have yet to sign one, let alone two, to compensate. But maybe it’s fine. Their 5-0 win over Elche was pretty good evidence that the Catalans can live without signing a striker.
At this point, so close to the transfer window closing, it seems certain that Barça will not sign two strikers. The rumor mill has linked the Vlaugrana with what seemed like an endless supply of targets, but in the end, it seems there was consensus on only one: Julián Alvarez. It’s a shame then, that until this point, Atlético Madrid have been unwilling to negotiate.
Barcelona have signaled they are ready to mount one last effort to sign the Argentine star, but if he doesn’t come, is anyone coming? And perhaps more importantly: should anyone come?
There will be more difficult matches to test the theory, but Raphinha certainly didn’t miss a beat starting as a center-forward. He won a penalty with a quick turn inside the box, then tucked away the spot kick to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead over Elche. He also set up Karim Adeyemi with a glorious chance, and the German was quick to put it away before halftime to double the lead.
In both occasions, Raphinha made a run in behind which troubled the opposing defense, then used his technique to create dangerous situations.
With 67 minutes gone, Anthony Gordon came on for Lamine Yamal. Fermín López went to the striker position, and Raphinha went to the right wing. But Barcelona kept ticking the same, first with Gordon setting up Raphinha for 3-0, and then the Englishman setting up Fernpub for the fourth goal.
The Spaniard then got the fifth goal with a bit of strength and skill, holding off a defender right outside the box then spinning around to set himself up with a great chance.
Both Raphinha and Fermín had great games playing as the center-forward, and Barcelona have other options. Youngster Hamza Abdelkarim has a chance to make an impact, though he was an unused sub against Elche. And the team has a few other players who could improvise as a center-forward, such as Gordon and Dani Olmo.
All this means that if Barcelona don’t sign Alvarez, there exists the distinct possibility that no striker needs to be signed, until perhaps the winter transfer window.
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