FCBARCELONA.CAT

12.08.2007 12:02

A beneficial tour

Jordi Clos

The balance of FC Barcelona’s ten day tour of Asia is a good one. The team did well on the pitch and the club completed a series of social commitments.

Jet lag, long journeys and adverse weather conditions were the main handicaps of the trip to the Far East, but the players never let their spirits drop. In a sporting, financial and social sense, the tour could not have been better. With three wins and a great image, there are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the coming season.

Three clean sheets

Barça used three keepers on the tour, Valdés, Jorquera and Oier, the latter making his first team debut aged just 17 against Beijing Guoan. And the wonderful news is that not one of them let in a single goal.

Solid at the back

Puyol, Milito, Márquez and Belletti were all missing, which meant plenty of time on pitch for Zambrotta, Oleguer, Thuram and Abidal, although the latter missed the second game with an upset stomach. The Barça B defenders that travelled to Asia also got their chances in the side.

Xavi, the most used

Deco had gone to Brazil for the birth of his child, so Touré Yaya, Xavi and Iniesta commanded the midfield. With the Ivorian to cover their backs, the two playmakers were able to press forwards and supply assists and goals. Xavi Hernández was the player who played the most in Asia, 257 minutes.

The emergence of Giovani and the trident

Giovani Dos Santos has been the sensation of the tour. The Mexican scored in all three games and is now the leading scorer in the pre-season. All three of his goals were almost identical, a pass into space, control by Giovani and a well-placed shot. The other delight has been the optimum form of the trident of Ronaldinho, Henry and Eto’o. The forward trio played 109 minutes together, and we finally got to see the very best of them in the game in Hong Kong. They are certainly beginning to understand each other well.

Financially and socially positive

Apart from what was going on the pitch, China, Japan and Hong Kong also brought plenty of income into the club. The trip also promoted the fact that Barça is ‘More than a club in the world’, and over the ten days FC Barcelona participated in different charity events, and did plenty to foster interest in its historical agreement with Unicef.