Roony Bardghji lights the fuse

Roony Bardghji, at just 19 years old, was once again one of the most positive notes in the match against Girona. Everything indicated that he would start again, but Hansi Flick ultimately opted for Lamine in the starting eleven. However, when the match was at a critical moment, the German coach turned to him. It was the 64th minute, with the score tied 1-1, when he entered the field, replacing nothing less than the team´s star. A context of maximum tension that the Swede faced with maturity and determination. Since his entry, Bardghji had an immediate impact in a thrilling final stretch of the match. He positioned himself on the right side and quickly made his mark: an assist with the outside of his foot that Rashford failed to convert. Few could believe that the English forward did not score that clear chance. Roony had created a brilliant play and showed himself to be one of the most incisive attackers on the team. The most remarkable thing about the Swede is his ability to make good decisions under pressure, despite being an eminently vertical player.

Increasing the pace

Against Girona, he played 26 minutes, during which he touched the ball 20 times, completed 12 of the 13 passes he attempted, and won half of the duels. Additionally, he was key in the off-ball pressure. Bardghji came close to scoring again and left the impression that he still has much more to offer. It feels like, once he scores his first goal, his performance could take off definitively. The spark is lit; only the explosion is missing. In recent matches, he shows a bit more intensity, especially when starting with the ball. He also demonstrated this during the international break with Sweden. "Roony is a top-level player. I don´t see him as a talent who has an opportunity; he is established. He is where he is for a reason. I think he comes with very good energy. It´s a shame for him that we are in this situation and that we are losing. But for me, I think he was a ray of light for us", declared Isak, the great figure of the Swedish national team. At Barça, Flick continues to give him minutes to gain rhythm and confidence after a complicated period marked by a serious injury and a lack of continuity. “Hansi is like a father. He talks a lot with me, guides me; he makes me feel important”, confessed Bardghji himself. The German coach fully trusts him, convinced that he knows how to handle the pressure that comes with wearing the Barça jersey and that he possesses qualities of a top-level footballer. In Araujo´s goal, his calmness at the start of the play was once again evident: De Jong extended the action, and the Uruguayan finished like a true forward. During the preseason, Bardghji was one of the great revelations, and at the start of this season, he seeks to prove that he can be much more than a player of flashes. His great challenge is to transform his enormous potential into concrete figures. And everything indicates that that moment is getting closer.