Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan came on to help Barcelona get 3 points against German side Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Wednesday. Barcelona were 1-0 down when Turan came on and scored the equaliser, putting the Catalans in a position to push on and find the winner.
The Catalan club eventually secured the win with a 1-2 scoreline. After the final whistle, the Turkish midfielder spoke about his conversation with Barcelona coach Luis Enrique before coming on, where the Barcelona coach told Turan to add more zest to the attack, help the team and if possible to get a goal.
Turan, said "He told me, “Arda, we're going forward to get the goal, attack more and drive."
When the 29-year-old was told that he was the hero in the game, he replied, "I work for the team and I'll keep doing so. It was a difficult game for us, but we had a good second half. They played really well, but the game changed in the second half with our goals."
Turan replaced the ineffective Paco Alcacer, who was drafted into the starting XI following Lionel Messi’s injury.
Also read : UEFA Champions League 2016/17 : Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-2 Barcelona - Player Ratings
Barcelona made to work hard by Gladbach
Even though the final scoreline and the statistics suggest that Barcelona dominated the game, it was not the case. The Catalan side was forced to claw back from a goal down, after Belgian – and brother of Chelsea’s Eden – Thorgan Hazard scored for the Germans.
The task was not easy for the Spanish club with their opponents showing all the grit, determination and proverbial German efficiency that Bundesliga sides are renowned for.
Monchengladbach used a high intensive pressing tactic in order to put pressure on Barcelona’s defence, and it did work for a while, but the German team were not able to sustain this energy zapping style, and they faded later on in the game.
After adding another 3 points last night [Wednesday], Barcelona are all on their own at the top of their Champions League group, with Manchester City in second place after their 3-3 draw at Celtic Park.
Barcelona’s next game takes them to Vigo, where they face Celta and Turan will be hoping that his performance will be enough to seal a place in the starting eleven for that game.
