With one win, one draw and one loss, it's safe to say that FC Barcelona haven't experienced the greatest of starts to their pre-season campaign; and with just three friendlies remaining before their season opener against Levante, new coach Gerardo Martino does not have an awful lot of time to experiment or tinker with new ideas. Thankfully, it appears as though Martino isn't bringing anything new to the table; he's simply implementing some "old" ideas and fitness will be key to his philosophy. So it's just as well that the Spanish internationals haven't returned to action just yet, and that Neymar only featured for roughly 15 minutes on his Barcelona debut.
After all, we're going to need them all to be in great condition for the long season ahead.
However, Gerardo Martino will also be encouraged by the strength in depth that he has at Barcelona; Sergi Roberto certainly doesn't look out of place in a Barca midfield and will be pivotal over the course of the season. Cristian Tello picked up a slight injury -- but continues to impress from the left-flank, while Alexis Sanchez has been one of the best performers in this short pre-season, statistically speaking. Martin Montoya lacks experience, but is capable of great things down the right-hand side and could easily steal some game-time from Dani Alves ahead of the World Cup.
Of course, some reinforcements would be welcome, especially in the defense where Marc Bartra struggled, but for the most part, this result was an anomaly -- one could even argue that pre-season really starts on Friday...
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- FC Barcelona 2012/13 Season in Review: Lionel Messi
- Lechia Gdansk 2-2 FC Barcelona: Match Review
- Pre-Season Friendly: Lechia Gdansk vs FC Barcelona: Live Game Thread
- FC Barcelona: What About Giorgio Chiellini?
- FC Barcelona News: 30 July 2013: Neymar Travels To Poland, Not Expected To Play Alongside Lionel Messi