Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, was criticized by some in the Spanish press after he provided two assists against Celta Vigo to move Barcelona within three points of Real Madrid.
Marcus Rashford featured in a double as Barcelona cruised to victory against Celta Vigo on Sunday. And with consecutive assists for the resurgent Robert Lewandowski, the Manchester United loanee’s form continued to grow.
Hansi Flick’s side enter this weekend with a five-point lead over La Liga leaders Real Madrid. However, Barça reduced the gap to just three points after Los Blancos were held to a 0-0 stalemate against derby rivals Rayo Vallecano earlier on Sunday.
However, as some in the Spanish media pointed out, it was not a perfect display. However, public reaction to Rashford’s two vital assists was positive as Lewandowski, who scored the match-winning hat-trick, benefited greatly from the Englishman’s performance.
Mundo Deportivo particularly praised the United loanee, describing him as “one of Vigo’s key players”. And it wasn’t just his direct contribution to goals that made the impression that his set pieces were effective on the West Coast.
An excerpt from the newspaper’s report said: “The English striker improved his pressing performance and took three corner kicks which led to goals.” “Rashford pressed more defensively than in recent games, outplayed (Oscar) Mingueza and was decisive with three crosses that ultimately led to the goal. Two by Lewandowski, one from a corner kick and one deflected by Ilaix (Moriva) and scored by Lamine Yamal.”
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The report praised Rashford’s “excellent passing ability” and detailed how his pressing proved crucial in disrupting Celta’s rhythm. Meanwhile, El Pais highlighted that Rashford is the “Barcelona player who most often faces defenders when he receives the ball at his feet.”
The newspaper praised the Englishman’s “brilliant” cross which found Lewandowski and gave him the lead at 2-1. Sergio Carreira’s early equalizing goal kept them competitive for much of the first half, and it didn’t take long for Borja Iglesias to equalize once more before the interval.
But it wasn’t all praise, with Sport pointing out the forward’s “unforgivable mistake” in missing a clear one-on-one with Celta keeper Ionat Radu. The slide itself might not have been so bad if it weren’t for the fact that Carreira scored the equalizer directly off a Celta counterattack.
“He had time and space and had all the options, but his finishing was weak and he almost passed the ball to the goalkeeper,” he said, summarizing his missed chances. “The most obvious chance of the game went away without any result… at least not the chance we wanted.”
However, another section of the same newspaper blamed Rashford for the impact. And given Lamine Yamal’s sluggish first period in Vigo, his “extraordinary attacking performance” was seen as an even more positive.
“Rashford was a constant threat from the start of the game,” one passage read. “He didn’t react to the first scoring opportunity and in fact Celta’s first equalizer came after the England international wasted a one-on-one with Radu that could have put Barça 2-0.
“However, this setback did not deter Marcus. Marcus had a great game in the end and was the source of three of the team’s four goals at Balaidos. His crosses for Lewandowski’s second and third goals were perfect and the Polish striker made the most of them.”
Rashford, who could derail Liverpool’s transfer plans in January, goes into the international break having contributed at least one goal or assist in seven of his last eight league starts. And England manager Thomas Tuchel will be hoping to have this version of the attacker back for the Three Lions’ upcoming games against Serbia and Albania.
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