Barcelona's Victory: Marcus Rashford's New Style of Play

NEWCASTLE, FRIDAY – Over the past year, Marcus Rashford has been considered to have run out of steam following his poor performance at Manchester United. He has sought refuge, among others, at Aston Villa and now Barcelona. With Barca, Rashford is gradually rediscovering his sharpness, albeit with a slightly different playing style. Rashford's new form helped Barcelona secure a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United in the continuation of the UEFA Champions League at St James' Park, Friday (19/9/2025) early morning WIB.

Rashford scored all the goals for Barca that were created in the second half. With this, he has now found the net against Newcastle seven times. The English team that Rashford has scored the most against is Leicester City, with a total of eight goals. After scoring his first goal for Barca since being loaned from MU, Rashford feels he has rediscovered his former self.

"It's a pleasure to play with them. This is a very young team and they play with confidence and a deep understanding of the game. You know St. James' Park isn't an easy place to come and play the way we do," said Rashford, as quoted by TNT Sports.

The injury sustained by Lamine Yamal has also helped Rashford regain the opportunity to play as a starter. Previously, Barca's Coach, Hansi Flick, preferred the duo of Yamal and Raphinha on the wing. This time, Flick has shifted Raphinha to the right wing position, while Rashford operates on the left, which is his favored position.

Rashford was known for his reluctance to backtrack to support the defense during his time at Manchester United. However, under Flick's guidance, Rashford has been quite diligent in dropping back to support the defense to stem Newcastle's pressure. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe instructed his players to press from the start in order to score an early goal.

I'm here to help the team win, but also to improve and be the best.

However, Barca's solid defense thwarted Newcastle's attacking efforts, led by Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. Rashford played a key role in this defensive aspect, recording six recoveries. This puts him in the top five players with the most recoveries in the match.

Beyond his defensive aspect, Rashford's new style of play was also evident in his attacking play. Operating on the left flank, Rashford enjoyed dribbling past opponents. At Barca, that tendency faded somewhat, particularly in the match against Newcastle. Rashford didn't have the most successful dribbles. He played more intelligently, trying to exploit space. He demonstrated this ability when he scored Barca's two winning goals.

In the first goal, Rashford cleverly positioned himself inside the Newcastle penalty area. He maintained a distance from Fabian Schar, who was marking him. When Jules Kounde delivered a well-measured cross, Rashford's perfect positioning allowed him to head the ball with ease. This situation also arose because Schar appeared hesitant to engage in an aerial duel after suffering a significant head collision.

The second goal was heavily characterized by Rashford's playing style, which began with his ability to dribble past opponents. However, this goal did not originate from Rashford's penetration from the wing. He positioned himself in the final third of Newcastle's defense as if he could anticipate that the ball would come to him. Indeed, Dan Burn made a mistake that resulted in the ball returning to Rashford's feet. With a few touches, Rashford then created shooting space and converted it into a goal.

"Everything is going well. I have learned a lot; this is a new way of playing football, but I enjoy it and I think it makes me a better player. I am here to help the team win, but also to develop and become the best," said Rashford.

Flick admitted that he was not surprised by Rashford's performance in this match. From the beginning, he believed in the hidden potential that Rashford possesses. He is the type of player who will be difficult to stop when he is happy.

"I had suspected it, but I am very happy for him. The last few years have not been easy. I have followed him since he played football and I have always wondered, 'what kind of player is he?' He showed it during training. For me, this is the next step. With the confidence he gained from these two goals, perhaps he can go further," said Flick.

Trailing by two goals from Rashford, Newcastle could only respond with a tap-in from Anthony Gordon at the end of the match. Gordon appeared uncomfortable being positioned as a central striker from the start of the game.

Howe then shifted Gordon to his natural position as a left winger when he brought in striker Nick Woltemade. This change proved to make Gordon more comfortable, allowing him to score a reply goal.

Howe lamented his players' failure to convert six shots on target into more goals. The number of shots on target by Newcastle was greater than that of Barca (5 times), who dominated ball possession with 64 percent.

"I am disappointed. We really played well. Disappointed because we did not score the first goal. That was crucial tonight, and we had the opportunity to do so in the first half. Our performance was truly wholehearted and brave, but perhaps it lacked the quality to achieve victory," said Howe. (AP)