Barca promise Ansu Fati still not excelling as a starter

Ansu Fati was once again far from his best in starting after three consecutive games coming off the bench in which he had shown a progression that suggested a great performance that did not happen in Barcelona's 1-0 win over Getafe.

The 20-year-old striker continues to make a full participation in every game this season for the Catalan team. He has now made 27 out of 27. But he only started eight of them, in which he scored one goal, against Villarreal. The remaining five goals that Ansu Fati has scored this season have been as a substitute.

At the press conference after the 5-0 win over Ceuta in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey, Xavi Hernandez announced that Ansu Fati had only played the final half hour, with a goal and a good feeling, because he had agreed with the player that he would start this Sunday's game against Getafe. And the Egara coach kept his word.

Ansu Fati started the game actively, looking for the finish in the '9' position and moving down to the playmaker position when the balls did not reach him. But Getafe's five-man defence made Barcelona's attacking play very difficult at all times.

Nor did danger come from the flanks, occupied by Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele, the other two strikers available to Xavi because of the suspensions of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres and the departure of Memphis Depay to Atletico Madrid.

When a dangerous chance came in the 35th minute, Ansu Fati was out of position. It was Pedri Gonzalez who played as centre-forward in that move to finish Raphinha's cross and score the opening goal.

Ansu Fati's ability to dribble and his excellent goalscoring instinct were not in evidence at the Camp Nou on Sunday. In addition, he was inaccurate and luck was not on his side either. As happened in a pass between the lines that Pedri put to him in the 53rd minute and which ended up with the ball bouncing off the striker's heel as he was about to control it to face David Soria's goal.

On Wednesday, Barca are facing Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals and with Lewandowski and Ferran available, Xavi will have more attacking options in the starting line-up and Ansu Fati may return to the bench.