Three takeaways from Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Club | La Liga MD13 | OneFootball

Robert Lewandowski needed just four minutes to open the scoring at the new Spotify Camp Nou last night as Barcelona took a 4-0 win over Athletic Club on match day 13 of La Liga.

A Ferran Torres brace and a Fermin Lopez goal helped add to the Polish striker’s goal and provide the four-goal cushion, while the defence delivered with a clean sheet at long last.

What was surprising, however, was how comfortable the Catalans were through the midfield, especially given they were without not only Gavi but also Pedri and Frenkie de Jong on the night.

Also among the events of the day were the returns of Joan Garcia and Raphinha, minutes for Marc Bernal and a Lamine Yamal display of stunning assists, all of which helped cap off a stunning night.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Club de Bilbao.

The right start to a new era

A 4-0 win over Athletic Club is indeed the best possible way Barcelona could have kicked off a new era last night, for the game was one that will go down in the history books.

Barcelona got off to a great start at Spotify Camp Nou. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Returning to the Spotify Camp Nou after over 900 days, the night was special for the team in many ways for many players.

For some, it marked the end of their long exile away from home and marked the beginning of a fresh start, while for others, it was their first ever time playing at the stadium despite growing up in La Masia over the years.

Curiously, for some players who have featured at the venue for other teams, it was their first experience of the venue as a Barcelona player, completely changing the experience.

All factors considered, it was never in doubt that Barcelona would do everything in their capacity to kick off the new era in fairytale fashion and they did exactly so without giving the visitors any route back into the game.

Over the remainder of the campaign and the years to come, the Spotify Camp Nou will see several elite games across both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, but Saturday’s 4-0 win against Athletic Club will be forever remembered as the win that kicked start the new beginning.

A clean sheet at last

Joan Garcia kept a clean sheet. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Joan Garcia was injured in Barcelona’s win over Real Oviedo in late September, and since then, it was Wojciech Szczesny who took charge. Since then, however, Barcelona failed to register a single clean sheet.

The last time they did not concede a goal was against Getafe, just before the Real Oviedo game, after which Joan Garcia was forced to take time off.

It is only poetic that the next clean sheet came last night, when he just returned from injury.

The Spanish goalkeeper did brilliantly to deny Athletic Club on the few occasions where he was challenged and was extremely comfortable with his distribution and sweeping.

His standout performance apart, the defence also did exceedingly well last night.

Hansi Flick’s decision to start Gerard Martin at centre-back alongside Pau Cubarsi appeared dubious from the outside, but the player stepped up his game and looked extremely comfortable, perhaps even more than some of the natural defenders in the squad.

Martin and Cubarsi’s combination held the offside trap to perfection, while Jules Kounde silently had his best performance of the season, holding off Nico Williams on the right flank. 

Flick also lowered the defensive line to an extent, making the Catalans look very comfortable in defending against counterattacks.

It is unclear if his decisions were one-off decisions, but the game leaves serious backing for both Martin at CB and a slightly lowered high-line to feature again.

Two tireless stars shine

Barcelona’s defence took care of the clean sheet while the forwards delivered with good effect to impose a dominant scoreline against the Basque side.

While that does indicate an all-round standout performance, two players stood out in particular for their work rate and quality on the night.

Fermin Lopez delivered yet another flawless performance. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Flick turned to Eric Garcia to play as the team’s pivot, with Pedri and Frenkie de Jong unavailable and Marc Casado not 100% fit to start.

While one always expected Garcia to be solid, he was far superior to what anyone could have imagined.

The 24-year-old defender was rock-solid sitting as the pivot and intercepted Athletic Club’s attack with ease time and time again.

His perfectly timed pressure and challenges cut off the visitors’ buildup and transitioned the defence to attack instantly.

Garcia also excelled with his distribution and virtually dictated the tempo of the game, and he even got into attacking spaces to combine with the forwards to create chances – all while not compromising his defensive solidity.

His assist for Fermin Lopez’s goal was the perfect example.

The player left the field with the stadium handing him a warm standing ovation and chants of his name, and it is clear how valuable he is to the team currently.

The second player who gave his all on the field last night was Fermin himself. He was virtually everywhere against Athletic Club, lunging into tackles to win the ball back and create attacking openings.

Fermin’s runs behind the defence continually threatened the Basque goal and he got into spaces often, linking up and creating chances.

He ended the game with a goal, two shots on target, a key pass, five duels won and a staggering seven recoveries, and it was clear how special the occasion was for him as he registered his 100th official game for Barcelona.