Even if the stage was small, the Barcelona were finally back on home soil, and they put on a commanding performance to animate their fans, and suggest that the best is yet to come.
Even with Lamine Yamal watching from the sidelines, the Blaugrana made easy work of Carlos Corberán’s Valencia.
The home team generated 24 shots, 10 of which were on target, and managed to bag 6 goals. If Ferran Torres were sharper, it should have been 8. Valencia meanwhile, were unable to generate any offense, with only
two shots on the night, despite being a team with an attacking identity.
In many ways, this Valencia team is Barcelona’s perfect opponent. Since Corberán arrived, Barcelona has made easy work of them in all of their meetings, as their system leaves plenty of space for Hansi Flick’s men to exploit.
The point is, there will be more challenging tests ahead.
A trip to St. James’ Park on Thursday to visit Newcastle will be another ballgame entirely. Eddie Howe’s team has had a challenging start to the new season after losing Alexander Isak to Liverpool late in the window, but the atmosphere in the Champions League opener will be electric given the high expectations that Newcastle have to show that they belong on Europe’s biggest stage.
Still, Barcelona had to start seeing the ball hit the back of the net eventually to relearn how it feels to be a ruthless attacking juggernaut.
Hansi Flick continues to show he isn’t afraid to make bold moves. Raphinha eventually came into the game at halftime, and was a force to be reckoned with, but the coach gave new signing Roony Bardghji a chance to show he is ready to perform in front of the Barca faithful.
Flick knows this season will be a marathon. He also knows that this isn’t the same Real Madrid team that he will be competing with. Every game matters, so the Barcelona players need to understand that they are expected to be at their best every time they hit the field.
One man who seems to always understand the stakes, both for himself and the team, is Fermín López. The attacking midfielder doesn’t just score goals. He makes the tough look easy. There is venom behind his shots. He fearlessly lets it fly like there is no tomorrow.
Fermín López is all business, and honestly, his teammates should learn from him.
If you want to play at Barcelona, you have to earn it on a consistent basis. Fermín has shown this season, and last on several occasions, that he can be the man that wins Barcelona games. We’re at a point now where he deserves a run in the starting lineup to see where his ceiling is.
It was also nice to see Marcus Rashford come alive. His assist to Raphinha was proof that good things happen when talented players let their instincts take over. To play a Barcelona is something you learn through feeling, not thinking.
This international break, in spite of losing several key players, gave Barcelona the quick mental reset they needed.
All eyes will be on them now to see if they can continue to build momentum.
Being good isn’t good enough.
What we saw on Sunday was a team focused and ready to prove that they were on a different planet than their opponent.
That’s the Barcelona under Hansi Flick that people have come to expect. That’s the attitude that must persist if the Blaugrana are to achieve the monumental goals that they set for themself.
