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Report: Adriano was one of three additions FC Barcelona made in the summer transfer window. He started the season as Daniel Alves' backup on the right side, while on the left side he was behind both Eric Abidal and Maxwell on the depth chart. At first Adriano did little to impress and justify his €9.5 million transfer tag, but as the season went on, he started to play better.
It was noted several times before that injuries forced several Barcelona defenders on the sidelines, but coincidentally that was the reason Adriano enjoyed more time on the pitch. When Abidal replaced Carles Puyol in the heart of the defense it opened a battle between the two Brazilian full-backs for who will get more playing time.
The bulk of Adriano's playing time came in the Copa del Rey where Guardiola, especially in return legs preferred to use his "second" team. Adriano played good in those games, he even scored a goal, but in the first half of the season, he couldn't transfer the good play to the league stages. In La Liga Maxwell started more games, but when a muscle injury stopped him, his compatriot took over the starting left-back position.
With good play he earned Guardiola's trust and even when Maxwell recovered Adriano was able to keep his starting spot. But just when the ex-Sevilla man was getting used to Barca's tiki-taka system, he injured his thigh muscle, effectively ending his rookie Barca season.
Moment of the season: On 2 February 2011, in the 2nd leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals Adriano scored his first goal as a Barcelona player. In came after a terrific solo run down the left flank toward the goal. The Brazilian remained calm when he found himself all alone in front of Estaban Suarez and dispatched a well placed shot. Barcelona won the game 0-3 and advanced to the final with a 8-0 aggregate win.
UD Almeria vs FC Barcelona 0-3 Adriano Goal! 02-02-2011 *Copa Del Rey* (via EBKTV)
Stats:
| Appearances | 31 |
| Games started | 23 |
| Started on the bench | 30 |
| Substitute in | 8 |
| Substitute out | 12 |
| Minutes played | 2093 |
| Goals scored | 1 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Shots | 29 |
| Shots on goal | 11 |
| Fouls committed | 31 |
| Fouls suffered | 33 |
| Yellow cards | 5 |
| Red cards | 0 |
Record with Adriano Correia in the starting lineup: 17-3-3
2011/12 Outlook: Adriano will return next season as the primary backup at both the left and right back. If Maxwell ends up staying in Catalonia the two Brazilians will share backup duties in Abidal's left-back spot. Unless something unforeseen happens before the 2011/12 season kicks off Adriano should have no competition for Alves' backup spot.
Next up: Maxwell
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