Joan Garcia is the transformational signing Barcelona desperately needed

It was labelled as the Joan García derby before the game, and it was Joan García that delivered throughout.

If there were any doubts over the Catalan goalkeeper’s character then his return to Espanyol cleared everything - García was Barcelona’s most important player throughout the game, and if it wasn’t for him, then the blaugrana wouldn’t have got the three points. It has been the case several times over the last two months where García has been Barcelona’s standout performer. He was similarly important against Villarreal before the Christmas break, but his value truly stood out at Cornellà-El Prat.

Three key moments drove him to a heroic status amongst the Barcelona faithful: first, it was the almost comical shove of Gerard Martín to block Pere Milla’s strike, perhaps preventing a goalscoring opportunity. Then, it was the cat-like reflexes, showing quickness and agility to stop a Milla header. Finally, he got down after a defensive mishap to prevent Roberto Fernández from rounding him and shooting into an empty net. 

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