The Barcelona head coach praised debutant and goalscorer Arthur following Saturday’s shoot-out win against Tottenham <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Ernesto Valverde is excited about what Arthur can add to Barcelona after the Brazilian midfielder scored on his debut for the LaLiga champions.<\/p>\n
It was a memorable debut for Arthur, who netted a stunning first-half goal as Barca defeated Tottenham 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw at the International Champions Cup on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Making his maiden appearance since arriving from Gremio in a \u20ac40 million (\u00a335m\/$46m) deal earlier this month, 21-year-old Arthur added to Munir El Haddadi’s 15th-minute opener 14 minutes later with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area, before Tottenham overturned a two-goal deficit in the second half to force a shoot-out.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Discussing Arthur’s debut at the Rose Bowl in California \u2013 where Malcom and Clement Lenglet also made their bows \u2013 Barca head coach Valverde told reporters: “He is a player who can give us a lot and he has shown he knows how to get the ball and give us a way out.<\/p>\n
“Arthur has also shown how to approach shooting areas to score the goal he has scored.<\/p>\n
“We have been training together for a while, just like with [former Sevilla defender] Clement Lenglet, with whom we have less doubts because he comes from LaLiga.<\/p>\n
“In the case of Arthur we work so that he adapts. He had a good debut. He was very motivated.”<\/p>\n
Barca’s night, however, was overshadowed by hamstring injuries to Denis Suarez and Andre Gomes.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Midifeld pair Suarez and Gomes were both forced off the field in the first half, putting a sour note on Barca’s winning start to their ICC campaign.<\/p>\n
“It was the worst news of the night for us,” Valverde said. “It’s possible that we’ll lose them for the remainder of the [United States] tour.<\/p>\n
“It will depend on the extent of the injuries.”<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Barcelona head coach praised debutant and goalscorer Arthur following Saturday’s shoot-out win against Tottenham Ernesto Valverde is excited about what Arthur can add to Barcelona after the Brazilian midfielder scored on his debut for the LaLiga champions. It was a memorable debut for Arthur, who netted a stunning first-half goal as Barca defeated Tottenham … <\/p>\n