The good news for Vitor Roque is that he started in Hansi Flick’s debut as coach of FC Barcelona. The bad news is that the Brazilian’s performance in his team’s penalty win over Manchester City was poor, amidst rumors of a possible departure.
For the friendly match held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, the German coach fielded a lineup of young players such as Héctor Fort, Marc Bernal, and Marc Casadó. The reference in the area was Pau Victor, who scored the first goal in the 2-2 draw that ended the match in regulation time.
READ MORE
++ Kaique Rocha aims to maintain good run of games and feels confident for the Round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil
++ Real Madrid open their pre-season against AC Milan: will Endrick make his debut?
++ The best Brazilian players who have played for Liverpool
This relegated Vitor Roque, who wore the number 17 jersey, to a left winger position, a role that Xavi had also assigned him during the few opportunities he received from the former coach in the first half of the year. However, Tigrinho appeared uncomfortable in that part of the field.
According to the match report by the Catalan outlet Sport, the former Athletico Paranaense lost 7 of the 9 ball duels he faced against opponents, failed to connect passes, and could not dribble past the defenders of the English team.
To make matters worse, he was substituted by Quim Junyent, another promising La Masia academy product, after halftime. In the images shared by the club, the Brazilian was seen on the bench with ice on his right ankle, although it is not expected to be a serious injury.
This was Barcelona’s first match in their preseason tour of the United States, which will continue with a clash against Real Madrid on August 3 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Three days later, they will face AC Milan in Baltimore.
