Barcelona romped to another big victory on Wednesday night in La Liga as Hansi Flick’s side put on another thrilling attacking show to beat Racing 7-2 and maintain their perfect start to the new campaign. Let’s take a look at three talking points from the match…
Joao Cancelo gives Hansi Flick food for thought
On the occasion of his first La Liga start of the season, Joao Cancelo didn’t take too long to make his mark.
A stunning right-foot finish that went in off the crossbar had his team-mates holding their heads in disbelief, and Hansi Flick breaking
out into a broad grin, and his second made up for the mistake a few minutes earlier that allowed Racing back in the game.
The Portuguese was a great foil for Karim Adeyemi and didn’t need asking twice to go on the overlap and supplement the attack.
Though he had little to do in a defensive sense, he was calm and accomplished in possession, and his passing range had purpose and accuracy.
A great overall performance and one which should see Xavi Espart having to raise the bar even higher if he wants regular employment in the left-back slot.
We also had the welcome sight of Alejandro Balde coming on late in the game for his first minutes of the season, but he’ll know he faces an almighty challenge playing his way back into the starting XI.
Lightning-quick transitions and verticality
Though Barca have always been known as a team that enjoys playing on the front foot, rarely, if ever, have they been so rapid in their transitional play from back to front and their verticality in possession.
Having a front three that are all sharp and full of running helps, of course, but it was also noticeable how quickly the defence and midfield bypassed their opponents and got the ball upfield.
A lack of pressure from the visitors certainly helped Barca’s cause, though only having two defenders back at times was an even higher-risk strategy than normal.
The way in which the team have begun games is also noticeably different from previous seasons, with every player intent on getting right in the faces of their opponent as quickly as possible and the team looking to strike early before the opponent has had a chance to settle.
Barca won’t find it as easy as they did on Wednesday in every game; however, it’s another tweak on an attacking strategy that’s definitely working for Flick and Co.
Raphinha remains the beating heart of this Barcelona
There simply isn’t a more important player for Barcelona right now than Raphinha.
Lamine Yamal may be bringing the party tricks, Rodri the calmness and experience to anchor the midfield effectively, Pau Cubarsi the elite defensive excellence, and so much more from other squad players, but no one embodies Flick’s Barcelona more than the Brazilian.
There’s a reason why he’s captain, and that is because he leads from the front and leads by example – each and every week.
The importance of him staying injury-free can’t be overstated.
