Xavi had a dilemma this weekend. On one hand, the impressive midweek win against Paris Saint-Germain was still being celebrated in Barcelona but their place in the Champions League semi-finals is not secure yet. Barcelona struck first, but Luis Enrique will still feel confident his PSG side can turn it around on Tuesday.
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In between those seismic encounters came a game against Cadiz — a relatively easy assignment on paper, but important because Barcelona want to keep up pressure on leaders Real Madrid, who won at Mallorca on Saturday.
Cadiz are fighting to get out of the relegation zone and were primed to take advantage of a Barcelona side who might have been thinking more about the Champions League. Xavi’s job, therefore, was to ensure his side did not lose focus before the Clasico at the Bernabeu next weekend. Dropped points against Cadiz would surely have ended the club’s remote title hopes.
With all this in mind, Xavi decided to rotate. He only fielded two players who are assured of a starting place against PSG — goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Pau Cubarsi — and two who started in Paris but will not at Montjuic because they are suspended, Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto.
The fringe players played their part in an eventual 1-0 win but among them, there was one player who delivered a display of real note: Joao Felix.
(Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)
Before arriving at Barcelona, Joao Felix had been criticised for his behaviour on several occasions at other clubs but playing for Barcelona has always been his ambition, and he moved to the club knowing that it was both his big chance and one of the final opportunities to establish himself at a major club.
He began his time at Barca in good form but little by little, lost his place. Although he has played well against rivals such as Atletico Madrid (who loaned him to Barcelona) and Porto, he has looked less motivated in matches against other teams.
Against less prominent opponents, he has shown moments of disconnection — a tag that has followed him from spells at other teams. Faced with this, and other disappointing displays such as his performance in the last 32 of the Copa del Rey against Barbastro, Xavi decided to relegate him to the bench in the hope that the player would rediscover some motivation and consistency. Restored to the starting XI at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Saturday evening, Joao Felix came out with more intensity than usual.
In the 37th minute, he got his reward, scoring with a bicycle kick — one of Barca’s best goals of the season.
The bicycle kick that decided Saturday’s game (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
He was impressive throughout the game, embarking on four dribbles, taking three shots and ending with the best expected goals (xG) figure (0.39) of any player in the match, which shows how he got into good goalscoring positions. He was undoubtedly one of Barcelona’s few attacking bright spots in the match.
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At the start of the second half, he had another chance from a cross from Ferran Torres that went wide and, in the 71st minute, he crashed the ball against the post. In the 85th minute, he was replaced by Marc Casado, his head down but with half a smile on his face, in the knowledge that he had, for once, been the best player in the match.
Sources close to the dressing room — who prefer to remain anonymous to protect relationships — have told The Athletic that Joao Felix is delighted with the club and his team-mates. Sources within the coaching staff have also confirmed this, explaining that they were aware of the reputation he arrived with but that they have been pleasantly surprised. They note that his attitude has been good, that he has adapted well and that he has not complained even when out of the team. In addition, they say that he has integrated into the squad, and that he gets on particularly well with Raphinha and Joao Cancelo.
Joao Felix’s challenge at Barcelona has been to put himself more at the service of the team and to learn to be patient.
Joao Felix does not want to return to Atletico Madrid. In a recent interview he did on the Jijantes Twitch stream, when asked if he wanted to return to Diego Simeone’s team, he looked at the ground, smiled nervously, looked at the Barca press officer with his eyes asking for help to get out of the situation, looked back at the interviewer and said in a friendly tone, “You are b******s,” causing the journalist to laugh.
Joao Felix wants to stay in Barcelona and sees this opportunity as one of the last chances he has left to take the big step forward in Europe that his talent surely deserves.
Against Cadiz, he showed that the criticism that he only plays seriously in big games is unfounded and made a strong case for a place in Barcelona’s starting XI for the PSG second leg on Tuesday.
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With Christensen and Roberto out — and Pedri recovered but still without enough playing time under his belt to be considered a starter — a scenario opens up in which Joao Felix could play a role in the most important game of Barca’s season so far.
By performing on a smaller stage on Saturday, Joao Felix has created an opportunity to show his talent on the biggest stage of all.
(Header photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)
