Barcelona's new right-back: Nelson MotoGP Semedo
Just like against Real Betis, Semedo showed his impressive speed against Espanyol
The former Benfica player brought Camp Nou to its feet on various occasions
Nelson Semedo excelled against Espanyol and Camp Nou hailed his performance with various ovations. He's gaining credit and the former Benfica player is earning an advantage on Aleix Vidal and Sergi Roberto for the right-back role.
The Portuguese was a little imprecise in his first appearances but in the derby he gave away practically nothing. One error in bringing the ball out in the first half aside, there was nothing to reproach. The rest of the game he was impeccable, important in attack and doing everything correctly in defence.
With the ball at his feet he was happy to roam and gain metres. He ran at a speed of 7.1 metres per second - Usain Bolt goes at 10.43. The explosiveness of the defender allowed him not only to impress going forward but in defence too. He stopped various Espanyol attacks with his speed, the same way Eric Abidal used to do in his time at the club.
We will have to see who Valverde picks at right-back against Juventus, but it seems today that Semedo is doing a good job of staking his claim. His 30 million euro cost is already looking cheaper.
