Three takeaways from Barcelona 4-1 FC Copenhagen | UEFA Champions League MD8 | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha – Barcelona’s iconic attacking trio – all started the team’s game against FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League and all three got their names on the scoresheet.

The visitors dropped an unpleasant surprise on the Blaugrana early in the game, taking the lead through a fourth-minute strike.

Barcelona, however, levelled up through a lovely Dani Olmo-Yamal-Lewandowski connection goal before Lamine took matters into his own hands and delivered the second goal to put them in front.

Raphinha then converted a penalty won by Lewandowski to make it three goals to Barcelona and Marcus Rashford scored a wonderful free-kick to make it 4-1 to them, sealing their place in the top-8.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Barcelona 4-1 FC Copenhagen.

Mission accomplished

A job well done for Barcelona. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

What Barcelona were aiming for last night was a top-8 finish in the UEFA Champions League stage, and that objective was secured without much trouble at the end of the day.

FC Copenhagen’s early opener did skew the odds against Hansi Flick’s side, and their inability to find a response in the rest of the first half only made matters more complicated.

The second half, however, was dominant and purposeful and it was never really in doubt that Barcelona would make the top-8.

At the end of the league stage of the competition, several startling developments have arrived that not many saw coming.

Barcelona, for their part, finish fifth on the table with 16 points and the highest goal difference of all sides on an equal tally. Only Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Arsenal are ahead of them.

Completing the top eight are Chelsea, Sporting CP and Manchester City, with Real Madrid shockingly falling out of the top-8 after a defeat to Benfica. 

What the result means for Barcelona is that they will not have to participate in the playoff round and have directly secured a place in the final 16 of the competition.

They will likely face one of Newcastle United or PSG in the next round, but will be fresher and better rested – something that is irreplaceable in the ongoing hectic schedule.

Marc Bernal makes a statement

Marc Bernal was fantastic. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s first-half performance was not poor in terms of possession or dominance, but they lacked a sense of stability and reliability on the ball.

The situation was understandable given that both Pedri and Frenkie de Jong were unavailable on the night.

Flick’s idea to cope with the situation was to deploy Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo in midfield to compensate for the stability and buildup assistance. While they did not do very poorly, there was a noticeable lack of control.

As a natural defender, Garcia did not look to hold on to the ball, released possession at the earliest given chance and removed the ‘pause’ from Barcelona’s play.

He was defensively solid, but the buildup appeared sluggish and the team’s fluidity simply lacked.

Hansi Flick brought on Marc Bernal at half-time, replacing Garcia and handing the youngster a massive chance to prove his worth and he simply did not disappoint.

Taking over as Barcelona’s pivot, Bernal immediately brought stability, calm and cohesion to the team’s buildup and the improvement in their attacking output was visible almost immediately.

His ability to move through spaces despite his tall figure is simply astounding, and his distribution was largely brilliant on the night. He was defensively reliable and helped the ball circulate the ball far better in the second half.

Bernal may not be a flamboyant player, but he showed that he is a real controller and disruptor of the game, proving the comparisons to Sergio Busquets.

It was his big announcement to the world that he is back, and Flick could well hand him far more prominence now in the month that Pedri is out.

A need to take first halves seriously

Improvements are still needed. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

 Barcelona got the job done last night, and convincingly so, as has been the case largely in recent games.

One common theme that persisted on the night, however, was their unconvincing first-half performance which has become a norm at this point. Seemingly, the Catalans only wake up in the second half and perform at their best.

While the theme has been ongoing for most of the season, it has become glaringly evident in recent weeks. 

Barcelona failed to score in the first half against Racing Santander and found both goals after the break, then went down to Real Sociedad in the first half of their league clash and went on to lose. 

The game against Slavia Prague saw them concede two goals before the break and fight for the comeback after half-time, while they even struggled to score a single goal against Real Oviedo in the opening 45 minutes.

Last night as well, Barcelona went a goal down early and fought for the equaliser and winner only after the break with there being a sizeable difference in intensity between the two halves.

Waiting for a fatigued opposition in the second half may well be a plot from Flick’s side to capitalise on the opponents’ weakness, but the teams they will meet in the second half of the season will be far better oiled and will not drop in intensity at any point.

Being able to switch the gear and play through pressure, at least on demand, is thus vital and it is high time Barcelona begin taking the first-half more seriously.

After all, football is a game played over 90 minutes and dropping a lacklustre 45 week in and week out is simply not it.