Barcelona made it four wins in a row on Saturday evening, and in fine style too, as they comprehensively defeated Real Betis 5-0 at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic.
Several players performed to a high standard during the match: Joao Felix, Joao Cancelo and Jules Kounde among them, although head coach Xavi Hernandez singled out Gavi for praise, with the 19-year-old referred to as the “heart of the team”.
Against Betis, Gavi took up a different role to the one that he has been tasked with over the last nine months. He played as an interior on the right side of midfield, as opposed to a false winger on the left, which Joao Felix was deployed as instead.
It was a role that Gavi thrived in. As reported by Relevo, he completed 56 of 57 attempted passes, which is up from the 39 he averaged last season. 38 of those were in his own half, which amplifies how deep he played at times.
However, it was this role that allowed Cancelo to be at his best. The Portuguese had lots of freedom to invert and overlap, which came about because Gavi acted as an effective cover at various points.
During the match, Gavi also made the most pressures with 37, which was 24 more than any other player. He also made more interceptions (2), tackles (4) and fouls (4) than any other midfielder, which showed how involved he was.
Gavi is sure to be a very important player for Barcelona again this season, especially with Pedri out for the next month at least. He has shown that he is a very versatile midfielder, which is so impressive considering his age.
