Barcelona kicked off 2022 with an important 1-0 win over Real Mallorca in La Liga that bodes well for the new year for all sorts of reasons.
Xavi was without eight first-teamers due to Covid-19, had captain Sergio Busquets suspended and key players such as Ansu Fati, Pedri and Memphis on the injured list.
All of which meant for an unlikely looking starting XI which included Barca B players Ferran Jutgla and Ilias Akhomach and a very rare place for the much-maligned Luuk de Jong.
We also saw Gerard Pique on free-kick duties in the first half, first-team debuts for two more youngsters in Álvaro Sanz and Estanis Pedrola and a lot of fouls as Barca ground it out.