Three takeaways from Barcelona 6-0 Valencia | OneFootball

If Barcelona were just looking to get back to winning ways after the international break, they outdid themselves against Valencia last night in their first game after the hiatus.

Hansi Flick entered the game with several uncertainties, injury blows and selection dilemmas but made sense out of the haphazard mess to bring a team that showed great clarity of approach and put up a fearless display.

In the end, Valencia were made to eat six goals courtesy of Raphinha, Fermin Lopez and Robert Lewandowski and took home all three points to keep the gap with Real Madrid at just two points.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Barcelona 6-0 Valencia.

Lacunae handled with poise

Barcelona entered the game last night with uncertainties all over the field, and going by their form before the international break, nothing was a given.

After all, the manager had no stable centre-back combination to start against Valencia as he continued his search for an optimal combination, and the situation was only worsened by multiple injuries to key players in the international break.

Frenkie de Jong, Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde suffered setbacks over the two-week hiatus and were unavailable for the Catalans on the night. Further, Gavi was unavailable too as he continues recuperating from his knee setback.

Despite being without multiple starters, however, Flick struck the perfect tactical balance and deployed a team that operated with great balance across the park. The situation could not have been handled better and shows that the manager knows exactly what to expect from whom in his squad.

Gerard Martin started in place of Balde at Estadi Johann Cruyff and was stable in defence, showing that he has developed more maturity in his department since last season. His performance was surprisingly positive and he did not look disconnected in the buildup either.

With Frenkie de Jong out, Marc Casado was handed a start, and he too showed good cohesion with Pedri and more than made up for the Dutch midfielder’s absence. He racked up two key passes, earned one assist and made four successful defensive actions on the night.

The final stopgap solution the manager deployed was Roony Bardghji, who played in place of Yamal, and he showed positive signs on his official debut for the club. He was confident on the ball, combined well in sequences and will surely have more prominence to come.

A hat-trick of braces

The goalscorers.. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona scoring six past Valencia last night was reminiscent of last season and a statement from the team that they still have it in them to be destructive and ruthless in attack. The fact that they did so without the likes of Lamine, Balde and De Jong only furthers their case.

Yet, it is very rare to see the team net a hat-trick of braces on the same night, and that was what made the win all the more memorable.

Fermin was the first player to complete his brace on the night. Starting the game, the recently exit-linked midfielder opened the scoring for Barcelona with a deft goal off Ferran Torres’ assist and then went on to double his lead with a thunderous strike from outside the area.

Raphinha came on at half-time to replace Bardghji on the right flank and looked like a potent threat. He got on the end of Marcus Rashford’s pinpoint-perfect cross to open his account and then volleyed the ball into the back of the net 13 minutes later to complete his brace.

Lewandowski soon followed as he came on in the 68th minute, replacing Ferran. He pulled the team through the final stretch of the night, scoring one brilliant goal with a lethal shot into the top corner and a second goal ten minutes later by lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper.

Best performance of the season yet

A lot has been said about Barcelona’s form so far this season, and rightfully so, for their first three games of the campaign were anything but impressive.

After three shaky games, however, Barcelona turned up in full-flow last night and showed the same mentality, cohesion and domination that defined them last time around.

From start to finish, Valencia were simply out of the picture as the Catalans dominated not only the possession but also in terms of chances created and duels won.

Flick’s side were imperious from the get-go and racked up a staggering 24 shots in comparison to Valencia’s two. They created five big chances and scored six goals from an xG of 3.35, with nearly triple as many passes as the opposition.

The game saw the traditional Flick-ball return to life with quick combinations, counterattacks and all-out attacking transitions headlining Barcelona’s performance. The defence too showed signs of stability in what comes as a major win for the manager.

The UEFA Champions League is up ahead, and Barcelona begin with a challenging fixture against Newcastle United away from home. Last night’s performance will undoubtedly go a long way in boosting the team’s morale ahead of the European curtain-raiser.