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| Arthur Melo celebrates goal with Rafinha |
It was a game filled with fun at the Rose Bowl when Barcelona kicked off their 2018-2019 season in a preseason friendly against Tottenham Hotspurs. Goals from Munir El Haddadi and new signing Arthur Melo gave Barca a 2-0 halftime lead but the Catalans conceded twice in the second half without scoring. However, they ended up winning the tie 5-3 on penalties.
Coach Ernesto Valverde handed all three summer signings their debuts with defender Clement Lenglet and midfielder Arthur Melo in the starting lineup and attacker Malcom coming in as a substitute. All three players impressed in their debuts and showed a good sign of things to come this season.
Clement Lenglet – 7/10: The central defender didn’t have a lot to do in his 45 minutes on the pitch but was solid when called upon. His passes weren’t bad either but he somewhat was too simple and predictable. He improved as the game went on and ended up putting a fine display.
Arthur Melo – 9/10: Oh man! Arthur was something else in his debut. He won the midfield battle against Erikson and company during his time on the pitch. His movement, touches, passes and understanding of the game was outstanding and he capped it all with a fantastic debut goal, a bullet from outside the box. A fantastic display from the young Brazilian.
Malcom – 7.5/10: Was introduced at halftime and he really did have a good game. Was very active and played both on the right flank and the left which shows his versatility. The Brazilian winger created problems for the Tottenham defence on many occasions and had a nice shot saved. He scored the winning spot kick for Barca.
