Espanyol 1-0 FC Barcelona: 5 Talking Points

#4 Ernesto Valverde gives the fringe players a chance

Valverde gave his fringe players a chance to impress

With injuries piling up, Valverde made a big call to make changes in his lineup, some forced and some with one eye on the transfer window. Often during the market period, clubs give a chance to the fringe players to impress one last time and to give other clubs a chance to look at them.

Aleix Vidal's start on the right of the three-man attack was one such move. The versatile full-back has struggled for minutes under Valverde which made this a surprise inclusion from the manager. But with Sevilla and Everton lurking for him will Barcelona also looking to cut their losses, this was a ploy to show Vidal's potential suitors what he can do.

Similarly, Rafinha, an Inter Milan target, made his comeback from a long-term injury haul as a second-half substitute. Inter Milan reportedly have already had a €25 million rebuffed with Barcelona looking for at least €40 million for the Brazilian midfielder.

This could have been the duo's last appearance in a Catalan shirt with the club actively looking to offload them this January.