Three takeaways from Real Betis 3-5 Barcelona | La Liga MD15 | OneFootball

While the final scoreline may depict a relatively close game between Barcelona and Real Betis last night, the reality could not be further off.

Up until the 84th minute, the Catalans led over the hosts by a 5-1 margin, and it was only a late goal and a penalty in the 89th minute that brought the scoreline to a competitive 5-3.

For Barcelona, the night at Estadi de La Cartuja was terrific as Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick, Roony Bardghji scored his first goal for the team in La Liga, and Lamine Yamal converted an ice-cool penalty to secure all three points.

The win takes Barcelona to 40 points after 16 games, four points ahead of Real Madrid who have a game in hand that will be played later today.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Betis 3-5 Barcelona.

A successful experiment

Hansi Flick’s starting lineup against Real Betis caught several eyes across the globe as an unconventional one, for the manager handed both Yamal and Bardghji a start together on the night.

While it was always clear that Marcus Rashford would play as a left winger and Ferran Torres as the striker, the two left-wingers starting together meant that one of them was set to feature as a 10, and it soon became clear that it was Yamal in that role.

Playing in a new role, the star forward took a while it adapt to the central position and all that it demands, but he proved to be a quick learner.

Soon enough, Yamal was a thorn in Real Betis’s foot and began carving out dangerous passes for fun.

Playing through the middle also helped Yamal combine more with Pedri and ease some defensive responsibility off the midfielder, and he completed the game with two big chances created, three key passes, and three successful dribbles.

Bardghji, meanwhile, started on the right and proved to be a handful with his trickery and dribbling.

He completed two dribbles, provided a perfectly weighted assist for Ferran Torres’ second goal, and even scored the team’s third goal himself.

Two polar halves

Barcelona conceded two late goals against Betis. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s game against Real Betis left Flick proud, and rightly so, for the team played as a unit and attacked with real freedom. Barring the minor collapse at the tail end, there is not much to complain about.

Yet, it is glaringly clear that it was a game of two halves – one clean, organised, and clinical, and the other haphazard, selfish, and wasteful.

In the first half, the Catalans seemed to take every half-chance that came their way and buried it with brutally clinical finishing.

Ferran Torres’ first goal was a poacher’s finish from a tight angle while the second was an outrageous volley.

Bardghji’s goal saw him clinically put the ball into the back of the net from distance and Torres’ fourth needed a bit of luck but came from distance.

Comparing the second half performance, however, Barcelona clearly took a turn for the worse in terms of burying chances.

Having already secured a solid lead, the team turned slack and players looked selfish to get goals to their name.

Rashford, Fermin, Yamal, Torres, and even Bardghji had chances to score in the second period, and all failed to do so.

Flick, needless to say, will look to use this opportunity to drill in the concept that there is no room for complacency until the final whistle.

Perfectly weighted rotations

Hansi Flick made some important decisions. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

With a massive UEFA Champions League clash coming up midweek, Flick was clear in his conservative approach against Real Betis, and his decisions paid off eventually with the team securing a comfortable win.

What the manager will be really pleased about, however, is the fact that the team played fluid football despite seeing many rotations and fielding a setup that had not played together before.

For starters, Flick handed Raphinha a game off, given that he is just returning from injury and that he had a mild muscle strain. Having the Brazilian rested for 90 minutes, needless to say, is absolutely massive.

Further, Robert Lewandowski started on the bench and did not come on at any point, giving him the night off as well to recover and recuperate for the game up ahead.

The manager also managed to hand Pedri half an hour off, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez a gradual return to the field, and Alejandro Balde a solid 45 minutes off on the night – all of which will contribute to the team staying fresh.