Three key takeaways as Barcelona grind out 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano | OneFootball

FC Barcelona faced Rayo Vallecano in La Liga at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium and the game ended in a tightly fought 1-0 win in favor of Hansi Flick’s side. It was an important three points for the Catalan club considering the stakes coming into this game.

Playing last in this particular matchday, Barcelona came into this game knowing that the other three teams in the top 4 of La Liga had dropped points in their particular games, meaning it was on the Catalan side to take advantage.

Hansi Flick’s men had the glorious chance to go top of the league by winning their game last night and that is exactly what they did. Barcelona now have the title race firmly in their own hands and it is important that they are able to maintain this momentum.

With all this in mind, here are the key takeaways as Barcelona scraped past Rayo Vallecano at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in La Liga.

1: Back to where we belong

This has been a very interesting season from a Barcelona perspective. They seemed to be running away with La Liga in the early months with incredible performances and seemed to have a birds-eye view of the table from where they stood.

However, a torrid run of winless games between November and December brought the house crashing down with both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid leapfrogging the Catalan club in standings and taking the initiative in La Liga.

Since the beginning of January however, Barcelona have gone on an unbeaten run, only dropping points in a difficult game against Getafe away and this has coincided with both Real Madrid and Atletico dropping points to hand the initiative back to the Catalan club.

Now, Barcelona are back to the top of the table, albeit level on points with Real Madrid, and finally back to where they belong. They have been the best team in Spain so far this season and one will have to say that this is much deserved.

2: Wojciech Szczesny and the winning mentality

It was around the beginning of January that Hansi Flick made the brave call to remove the impressive Inaki Pena from the starting line-up and make veteran Polish shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny his incumbent number one until Marc-Andre Ter Stegen returns.

One of those times when Flick was asked about choosing the ex-Juventus man, he claimed that Barcelona had not lost with Szczesny in goal. It has been a while now and the German coach now looks like Nostradamus.

Szczesny is yet to lose a single game as a Barcelona player and last night, he had an incredible display against Rayo Vallecano. The Polish goalkeeper seems to be getting better with every passing game and looks ready for the crucial part of the season.

As a Barcelona fan, one would hope that Szczesny’s winning run continues for a long time. He will be extremely important in determining how far Hansi Flick’s team can go this season and let’s wait and see how it plays out.

3: Pedri and Dani Olmo magic

In large parts, Barcelona scraped past Rayo at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc last night and were hanging on for dear life in the dying embers of the game. However, it was all on themselves for failing to put away the numerous chances they created on the night.

However, there were times in the second half last night when two Barcelona players enthralled the fans with their magic on the ball. Pedri and Dani Olmo had moments in the game that would go into their highlight reels at the end of their careers.

Pedri was Barcelona’s best player on the pitch last night, although Inigo Martinez might argue with that claim and his close control was an absolute delight. There was a moment in the second half when the ball seemed to be stuck to his feet and he continues to impress with every passing game.

Watching Dani Olmo play last night was a sight for sore eyes. His touches, his passes, and that Bergkamp-esque turn into the box were all exquisite and it is a shame that his body lets him down so often in his career. Surely, he has done enough to earn a start against Las Palmas?