One player Barca badly missed in heavy Clasico defeat – he scored and assisted in last game

Barcelona were missing six players through injury in their Spanish Super Cup defeat against Real Madrid, but the biggest miss was Gavi.

Cast your mind to the last Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia in January 2023. Gavi came up clutch in that game as he registered a goal and an assist to help Barca win 3-1.

Besides his goal contributions, the young midfielder was the highest-rated player on the pitch because of the intensity and work rate he added to the team.

Gavi registered three key passes, created one big chance and won seven of his nine ground duels. He also made one interception and three tackles.

Against Real Madrid on Sunday, Barca were lacking the intensity and fighting spirit needed to win midfield battles that Gavi often supplied. That allowed Real Madrid players like Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchoumeni to run the show.

In the end, Barca suffered their heaviest defeat of the season in a humiliating 4-1 loss to relinquish their Supercopa crown.

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