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Topics: Spain, Marcus Rashford, Barcelona, La Liga
Jack Kenmare
Some of Spain's most prominent media outlets have reacted to Marcus Rashford's latest performance for Barcelona after the Catalan giants recorded a dramatic 3-2 win over Levante.
Rashford made his first competitive start for Hansi Flick's side on Saturday night, featuring in a star-studded attacking line-up alongside Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Raphinha.
He showed "potential" in the first half, according to Flick, but was brought off at half-time after Levante went into the break with a surprise 2-0 lead following goals from Ivan Romero and Jose Luis Morales.
“Marcus has a few chances in the first half and showed he can help us," said Flick in his post-match press conference.
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“In the second half, we needed to make changes, and we put Raphinha on the wing," he added. "I think they were the right changes to make. The first goal after the break changed the game.”
Barcelona would mount an impressive comeback in the second half, as a quick-fire double from Pedri and Ferran Torres levelled the scores after 52 minutes, before a late Unai Elgezabal own goal sealed all three points.
A post-match report from Marca claims Barcelona looked "a complete mess" in the first half as Hansi Flick "surprised" with his starting line-up, especially in attacking positions.
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"He put Ferran Torres in as a centre forward, whereas until now, Rashford had always played there if Lewandowski was unavailable," the report read.
"He also brought Raphinha off the wing and put him in as a central midfielder behind Ferran. The invention, which hadn't been tried in any match up to that point, backfired. A complete mess. Barcelona never looked comfortable on the pitch and barely created any chances."
Mundo Deportivo suggest Rashford was "very active" at the start of the game, but faded as the half went on.
AS agreed with the previously mentioned statement, saying the England international was "the most disruptive" player and dangerous at the start, but faded. However, they also said he "wasn't to blame" for the first-half performance.
In an interview with Spanish publication SPORT, Rashford has opened up on his first few weeks with Barca and his decision to leave Manchester United after a difficult period with his boyhood club.
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The 27-year-old also revealed that he has already been given a nickname by his new teammates.
"When they have fun with each other, they call me 'sweetie' ['chuche']. I don't know what it means, but it's funny that they talk to you like that," he said.
"They know I'm trying to learn Spanish. I think it's important for me to learn as soon as possible. So it's stimulating. You're always learning and that's good."
Rashford also admitted he has found Catalan trickier than Spanish but has vowed to improve his language skills.
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"Catalan is difficult. I suppose that, while I am here, I will learn a little and I hope it will help me understand more the culture of Catalonia, which I also want to do," he added.