Barcelona ended their pre-season trip to the United States with a 2-2 draw against AC Milan — their only summer friendly not to have been delayed by a thunderstorm and by far their toughest test on tour.
The Italian side were coming off the back of two victories, having beaten Manchester City (3-2) and Real Madrid (1-0), and they were a match for Barca, too.
Milan, now under Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca, took an early 2-0 lead through goals from Luka Jovic and Christian Pulisic, but Robert Lewandowski quickly got one back before adding a second after the break.
The Polish striker was one of Barca’s best performers, but Hansi Flick’s group still ended up on the losing side after a penalty shootout to settle the contest finished 4-3 in Milan’s favour.
Let’s dive into the talking points.
How did Barca do?
Although we are only in pre-season and it is difficult to draw conclusions, Barca’s young line-up gave more reasons to be excited with another entertaining and solid performance. Flick’s team again were better able to react than they did at times last season, and against big rivals.
The freshness and intensity of the reserve and youth team players out to take their chance on tour helped to lift the side. They worked hard and applied high pressure off the ball — as in the games against City and Madrid.
But it became clear that if Ilkay Gundogan and Lewandowski play together it is a problem for the team. Neither offered much in the way of pressing when it came to defending from the front, and it left the team a little exposed at times.
Milan went into a quick 2-0 lead in Baltimore (Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)
You could see the difference with Marc Casado, for example. The 20-year-old was the only Barca player to play 90 minutes and he stood out again. In the game’s early stages, after losing possession he made a sprint almost to his own goal line to retrieve the ball, something you didn’t see from the older players.
The absence of 17-year-old Marc Bernal was also noticeable. In the first half the defensive midfield duo were Casado and Andreas Christensen and the connection that has been seen during pre-season between the two youngsters was not there.
“We understand each other with a look,” Casado said of Bernal on one of the team’s media days. With Christensen playing instead, Barca lost the midfield balance they provided in previous games, and Casado went on to feature in a more advanced role.
Is Casado Flick’s best bet?
If Barca’s third and final game in the U.S. proved anything it is that Casado is Flick’s best bet to come in and play a role in midfield. And there have been plenty of messages that the German manager believes in him, too.
Casado has started all three pre-season games, and while Flick has easily changed others, the young Spaniard has been one of the players with most minutes.
Right now, he is a player who should be a starter at Barca. Flick’s team lack depth in central midfield and his performances this summer put him in a strong position to get a proper chance this season. Another La Masia graduate, he made his first-team debut back in November 2022 but has had few opportunities since. Last term he played 13 minutes in La Liga, but was a key figure for the reserve team Barca Atletic.
Casado played only 13 minutes in La Liga last term (Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)
Against Milan, Gundogan did not shine and was substituted at half-time. Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Pedri are injured. Fermin Lopez will have to rest because he is playing the Olympic Games after the European Championship. And Oriol Romeu has just left for Girona.
Casado is clearly a player that Flick likes and this was another display that confirmed the good sensations around him. He was attentive in applying pressure when the opposition had the ball and contributed well in attack, even though this might have been his weakest of three impressive summer performances.
Goals for Lewandowski
Lewandowski, who turns 36 in a few weeks’ time, started pre-season saying this term, under Flick’s style of play, he would score more goals than the 26 he managed from 49 appearances in all competitions over 2023-24.
In Barca’s pre-season opener against City he only played half an hour. Against Madrid he was outshone by the promising Pau Victor, who scored a brace.
In the face of constant praise and excitement over other players such as Victor and Lamine Yamal, and amid rumblings over his disappointing level in the summer Clasico, Lewandowski vindicated himself with two goals of his own against Milan.
Lewandowski celebrates with Barca team-mates (Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)
The first came in the 22nd minute with Barca 2-0 down. He received the ball near the edge of the area, dribbled the Italian defence and fired a low shot past the ‘keeper from just outside the box. The second came in the 58th minute, rounding off a slick Barca move when receiving a cross from Victor inside the area to find the net from close range.
But in the penalty shootout, it was Milan who came out on top, winning 4-3 after six rounds with Barca’s Mikail Faye’s spot-kick saved to seal the result.
What next for Barcelona?
Monday, August 12: Monaco (H), Joan Gamper Trophy, 7pm BST, 2pm ET.
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(Top photo: Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
