Barcelona drew their penultimate pre-season friendly in the United States 2-2 with Italian giants Juventus. The game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, was dominated by Barcelona.
Ousmane Dembele scored the opening goal of the game in the 34th minute before Moise Kean equalised for Juventus five minutes later. Just a minute after that Dembele struck back to make it 2-1 only for Kean to equalise again in the 51st minute.
“He’s a different player, special,” Xavi Hernandez said post-match of Dembele in comments carried by Mundo Deportivo. “Because of the way we play, he gives us so much.
“He can make a huge difference for us. He has to be more consistent, score more goals and contribute more assists, something he improved on last year. Since last November, when [he and the coaching staff] arrived, I’ve seen a happy Dembele. He’s always involved and he’s always shown that. That’s why I pushed so hard for him to stay.”
Dembele appreciates the faith Xavi and his team have placed in him. “I have the confidence of Xavi Hernandez and all my teammates,” he said post-match. “That’s very important for me. I’m very happy and I’m going to give everything for Barcelona.”
Barcelona dominated 59% of the possession, completed 501 passes and rained 20 shots on Juventus’ goal. If they can continue to perform in that manner when the real football begins they’ll quickly become one of La Liga’s most entertaining sides.
Barcelona play their final pre-season friendly against New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening before returning to Europe to play the final of the Joan Gamper against Mexican outfit Pumas at Camp Nou. La Liga begins against Rayo Vallecano on August 13th.
🗣Ousmane Dembélé: “Tengo la confianza de Xavi Hernández y de todos mis compañeros. Eso es muy importante para mí. Estoy muy feliz y lo voy a dar todo por el Barça”. #FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/gt1DZeYRgi
— Miquel Blázquez (@BlazquezFont) July 27, 2022
