Three talking points as Barcelona defeat Celta Vigo 4-2 in La Liga | OneFootball

FC Barcelona faced a tough test as they made a cross-country trip to Balaidos to face Celta Vigo. It has not been an easy clash for the Catalan giants in recent seasons, and winning yesterday was of paramount importance.

Real Madrid played before Barcelona last night and dropped points against Rayo Vallecano. This put even more pressure on Hansi Flick’s side to step up and reduce the gap from five points to three just before the international break.

Eventually, Barcelona ended 4-2 winners on the night, thanks to a hat-trick from Robert Lewandowski and a goal from Lamine Yamal. This result saw the defending champions end a tough run of fixtures on a high.

With all this in mind, here are three talking points for Barcelona as they defeated Celta Vigo 4-2 in La Liga at Balaidos.

1: A tale of two halves

Barcelona’s game against Celta last night can distinctly be split into two halves. The first half had all the problems that the Catalan club has faced so far this season and played out in a very basketball-like manner.

The Catalan giants took an early lead through Lewandowski, but were pegged back almost instantly by Celta as the high line failed, yet again. The Pole restored Barcelona’s lead, making it 2-1, only for the team to squander it yet again to an Iglesias screamer. Eventually, Lamine gave the team a 3-2 lead just before the half-time break.

The second half was in complete contrast to the first, as Barcelona completely controlled the game from start to finish. Frenkie de Jong started pulling the strings in midfield, the press was on point, and Flick’s team did not concede a single clear-cut chance until late in stoppage time.

Barcelona played the second half against Vigo with so much maturity. They kept hold of the ball, defended from the front, and showcased that, when they get it right, this team is still very difficult to get past. It was a welcome step in the right direction for the Catalan club.

2: The old man’s still got it!

Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images

Lewandowski is 37. His body is slowly yet surely starting to show fragilities, and injuries have now become a common occurrence. This season, he has hardly started games for Barcelona, with just four in La Liga.

The Pole was being benched by Ferran Torres, mostly due to his physical condition, but last night was a reminder of just how valuable he remains. The old dog pulled out his tried and tested tricks to walk away with a hat-trick at Balaidos.

The box threat that Lewandowski brings to the table cannot be understated. He looked razor sharp in front of goal, dropped deep, linked play, and did everything that makes him one of the most feared strikers of his generation.

Despite missing the majority of the campaign so far, he is Barcelona’s leading goalscorer in La Liga with seven goals and is only behind Kylian Mbappe. Every time you think he is done, the phoenix rises from the ashes.

3: Fantabulous Frenkie

Frenkie de Jong may have got himself sent off, rather unjustly, in the last minutes of the game against Celta Vigo, but if not for that, there is a good chance he would have walked away with the Man of the Match award ahead of hat-trick hero Lewandowski.

Minutes before kick-off, Marc Casado had to pull out after suffering some discomfort, and Dani Olmo replaced him in the starting XI. This effectively meant that the entire burden to control the game fell on Frenkie.

What followed was a masterclass in ball retention and la pausa, especially in the second half. Frenkie was like a puppeteer, controlling all the teammates in front of him on strings, dictating where the ball should go and when.

He knew when to keep hold of the ball and when to release it, and it is a shame that an unfortunate second yellow card stops this from being one of the best midfield performances of the season. Barcelona will dearly miss him against Athletic Bilbao.