Three talking points as Barcelona thrash Newcastle United 7-2 in Champions League | OneFootball

It is easier said than done to handle a Champions League tie with the kind of conviction that FC Barcelona showed against Newcastle United last night. It was a display that reminded everyone just how good Flick ball can be.

It was an incredible tactical display from Hansi Flick, ably supported by an ensemble cast including Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, and Robert Lewandowski, among others, and Barcelona have now booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Newcastle played in typical fashion, setting up in a man-to-man press, but Barcelona had a plan to counter it from minute one. The second half, in particular, was one of the best under the German manager since he arrived at the club.

With all this in mind, here are three talking points as Barcelona thumped Newcastle United 7-2 in the Champions League at Spotify Camp Nou.

1: Raphinha turns on the style

There are few players in football who are more confidence-driven than Raphinha. That is precisely why his hat-trick against Sevilla at the weekend was expected to do him the world of good, and Newcastle bore the brunt of it.

The Magpies had managed to stifle the Brazilian to a large extent at St James’ Park, but at Camp Nou, he ran riot. From minute one, Raphinha was intense. He was the one who kick-started proceedings with a beautifully taken goal.

Throughout the game, he did not put a foot wrong, driving the press and forcing Newcastle into poor decisions. Eventually, he ended the game with two goals and two assists to his name, and also helped win a penalty for his side.

Had he selfishly taken the penalty himself, it would have given him yet another hat-trick in a Barcelona shirt. However, he passed it on to Lamine Yamal, and the Spaniard made no mistake from six yards.

If there was ever any doubt about how good a tactician Hansi Flick is, last night provided the answer. Earlier this season, Barcelona showed vulnerabilities against teams that press man-to-man, such as Chelsea, PSG, Sevilla, and even Newcastle.

However, Flick seems to have worked on it and cracked the code. We saw glimpses of this against Sevilla last weekend, when Barcelona scored five goals. Fluid positioning and constant rotation made them almost impossible to mark.

The second half against Newcastle was the culmination of everything that Flick has been trying in recent weeks. Especially in the build-up to Barcelona’s fourth goal of the night, scored by Fermin, the rotations were visible all over the pitch.

Barcelona are too good as an attacking unit when their play comes together, and last night they were scoring goals for fun. Twelve goals in the last two games offer hope that this can continue for a long time to come.

3: A win that came with an asterisk

Barcelona may have thumped Newcastle 7-2 last night, but some of the exhilaration was dulled by the injuries to Joan Garcia and Eric Garcia. The latter started the game after missing the previous two and hardly lasted 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, Joan had a very good game but had to be withdrawn at around the 80th minute with what looked like a calf injury. The expectation is that neither injury is serious and that both players will return sooner rather than later.

Both Joan and Eric have been ever-present in Hansi Flick’s teams so far this season and have been crucial to how this side plays. Thankfully for Barcelona, the international break is right around the corner, and that should offer some solace.

Hopefully, both Garcias can rest this weekend against Rayo Vallecano and return for the important games against Atletico Madrid, both in the league and in the Champions League.