Having selected him to play at centre-back ahead of the more natural choice of Alexandre Song, Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has praised the performance of Brazilian Adriano in the 2-2 draw.
The game was a tight affair, settled by two goals apiece for stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with both Pepe and Dani Alves somewhat at fault for individual goals.
However, the out-of-position Adriano stuck manfully to his job, justifying his surprise selection and drawing plaudits from his new manager.
“Song knows the concepts of our play, but he needs time to execute them,” Vilanova told a press conference. “I chose Adriano because he is quicker. We need that against Madrid.
“I must congratulate the defence, particularly Montoya and Adriano. It’s not easy to play in a game like this, in a defence without several starters. I am very satisfied with how they did.”
Argentine makeshift defender Javier Mascherano added: “It was kept a secret that Adriano would play at centre-back. We trained with this team all week.”
Adriano will now join-up with the Seleção where, due to an injury suffered by club-mate Dani Alves, he could end-up playing in an unfamiliar right-back role.
