Sebastian Blanco and Jonathan Cristaldo, a couple of Argentinian attack-minded players, looked like fantastic January additions to FC Metalist Kharkiv on paper. In time, it’s likely that both of them will become staples of a side that features six South American players in today’s starting lineup and another on the bench. However, they have had two very different debuts so far in Metalist’s UEFA Europa League match against Bayer Leverkusen.
FC Metalist Kharkiv Vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Sebastian Blanco, Jonathan Cristaldo With Very Different Kinds Of Debuts
Cristaldo has given the ball away on a few occasions and has looked lost once in a while. He doesn’t appear to be up for dealing with the physical defending of Bayer Leverkusen, and does not appear to be on the same page with attacking mates Taison and Xavier.
Blanco, on the other hand, looks pretty good. He’s had some trouble with Arturo Vidal and Lars Bender in the middle, but in general, he’s been able to show off a lot more of his talent than Cristaldo has to this point. Though he’s been beaten in a couple of 50-50 ball situations and his communication with his teammates isn’t quite there yet, he’s had a couple of fantastic bits of individual skill, including a turn and pass that set up Taison for Metalist’s best opportunity of the game, where the Brazilian struck the post in the 35th minute.
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