Hansi Flick’s men finally ended their win drought in La Liga and did it in some style by scoring 7 goals against Valencia. There were some surprises in the starting lineup by the manager but they worked perfectly as Barca brushed Valencia off to grab the 3 points.
Changes in the lineup
Robert Lewandowski‘s performances in La Liga were not the best recently. Fans were expecting a change from Flick and it came today. Ferran Torres started ahead of the Polish striker with Raphinha and Yamal to his left and right. Pedri was unavailable for Barca tonight so Frenkie de Jong started in his place with Fermin Lopez starting ahead of Gavi in the CAM role. Surprisingly Eric Garcia was the starting Centre-back along with Pau Cubarsi instead of Araujo.
Raphinha lending a helping hand
Raphinha was seen dropping into the midfield time and time again to create a numerical advantage against Valencia’s midfield and progress the ball for Barca. Had it been Lewandowski on the pitch the backline of Valencia would have pushed up higher to compress the pitch for Barca but Ferran made sure to stay onside and keep making runs in-behind pulling Valencia’s backline with him. This made room for Barca’s midfield to operate with more freedom. Raphinha also joined Ferran and Frenkie on the score sheet and scored the 3rd for Barca.
Frenkie de Jong shines again
The Dutch maestro maintained his good form with a brilliant performance against Valencia. He opened the scoring by receiving a beautiful pass from the starboy Lamine Yamal. Frenkie controlled the game in Pedri’s absence and was a free man wherever his teammates needed him. His passes kept infiltrating lines and he progressed the ball for Barca’s buildup.
Fermin Lopez with a MOTM performance
Fermin Lopez is well and truly back for Barcelona. He gave out 2 assists and scored 2 goals joining the list of 3 Barca players who have achieved the same feat in the last 10 years, Leo Messi, Luis Suarez and Griezmann. Fermin played his game with risk and confidence as he dribbled past the men in white and played through balls for his teammates. He played it over the top for Raphinha’s goal and then slid it through Valencia’s backline for Robert Lewandowski to get on the score sheet. An absolute gem for Hansi Flick’s side who doesn’t let anyone feel the absence of Dani Olmo.
Ferran Torres who although could have scored more was once again brilliant. Balde keeps on improving his dribbling, decision-making and defensive awareness. Pau Cubarsi should play more long balls like his assist for Fermin. Valencia was not the biggest test for La Blaugrana but this win will give the team a lot of confidence and motivation to keep on competing for the title.