Barcelona supporters made themselves heard during last night’s 3-2 victory over Elche, despite the fact that Camp Nou was only half-full. Things are tense at the Catalan club at the moment, and a good way of understanding which way the wind is blowing, note Diario AS, is listening to how the crowd reacts to each player.
Frenkie de Jong was noticeably booed as he was withdrawn by Xavi to be replaced by Riqui Puig in the second half. It’s the first time he’s ever been reprimanded like that by the Barcelona supporters, who are said to be growing tired of his poor form.
Ousmane Dembele was another who bore the brunt of supporters’ frustrations. It wasn’t as concentrated as De Jong’s, but was more in response to the Frenchman’s careless attempts to look after the ball as Barcelona hunted a winner with the score at 2-2. His much-publicised ongoing contract negotiations can’t have helped.
The man who received the majority of the crowd’s adulation was Gavi, the 17-year-old phenom who opened the scoring with a wonderful individual effort in the first-half. For a group of supporters desperate for new heroes, Gavi certainly fits the bill.
