The return of Xavi Pascual al Barça It borders on perfection, at least, in terms of results. With the only blur of the narrow defeat in the re-opening of Gavà on the court of Anadolu Efes (74-73), The Barça team has accumulated a streak of four consecutive wins which extends to seven wins in the last eight games, after the dismissal of Joan Peñarroya.
The squad has taken a step forward by reducing the points awarded. There are now five games, with Pascual in chargein which 80 or more points have not been awarded. An average of 72.6 goals conceded per duel which translate into that 4-1 balance that has helped the team maintain its good dynamics in the Euroleague, where it accumulates the second best balance of wins and losses (9-5), y 'resurrected' in Liga Endesa, finally achieving the much needed positive balance (5-4) on the road to the next edition of the Copa del Rey.
Pascual's defensive demands
The rise in Barça's defensive performance It has practically stopped being news, although we must continue to evaluate game by game that lowering of the blinds that Pascual has achieved through his board, and with a message that has penetrated among his players. “Either you defend or you won't play,” wakefulness Joel Parra after the game against Andorra that the new Barça coach had told them.
Joel Parra had a great performance against Morabanc Andorra / Twitter: @Fcbbasket
Under that label 'defensive' basketball with which some remember Pascual's first Barça, the truth is that The team has also been doing very well in attack in recent games. The Barça squad is not suspected of having talent, and both Roger Grimau as Joan Peñarroya They managed to get high scores with their teams. In fact, despite the fact that the Egarense coach suffered a plague of injuries last year, the offensive side of his Barça rarely looked resentful.
Unleashed on attack
After two first games with a low score compared to recent years (73 points against Anadolu Efes and 72 in Gran Canaria against Dreamland), Barça has lost its hair in the last three commitments scoring 88 against Asvel, 89 against Estrella Roja and last Sunday's 102 goals against the Principality team. An average of 93 points per game, and a third quarter against Andorra, with the top scorer in a quarter (35) since Pascual's return to the club. Against the French and Serbians, the percentage of success in the triple was not excessively outstanding (33.3% and 34.5% respectively), but Kevin Punter against Asvel (24) and Will Clyburn (22) and Darío Brizuela (17) against Red Star, they took the reins of the attack.
Kevin Punter had a great game against Asvel / Dani Barbeito
And before the team he trains John Plaza The two aspects came together. Barça was unleashed from beyond 6.75 (12/26, 46% success rate), and beyond another great performance by 'KP' (20), the Barça team was inspired by a plethora of Joel Parra, author of 24 points, his all-time high in the ACB and which earned him the choice of player of the day thanks to the 34 assessment credits.
Numbers on par with Europe's leading scorers
In the Euroleague, Monaco (90.8), Hapoel Tel Aviv (90.4) and Paris (90.4) lead the standings. Some figures that Barça has flirted with in the last two continental matches, and some records that will remain to be seen if they can be repeated this coming Friday (8:30 p.m. CET) against a Olympiakos, of Georgios Bartzokas, that one more year they are once again one of the teams that show the greatest performance in the back part of the track.
Georgios Bartzokas, coach of Olympiacos / EFE
But the truth is that Pascual's Barça continues its evolution at a good pace, And to the expected improvement in defensive terms, we also add the recovery of the firepower that this group treasures and that has been demonstrated in recent years, and that now combines with an acceptable defensive level that meets the standards of a club of the Barça entity.
