Barcelona gave their fans in Saudi Arabia just what they wanted.
The thumping of Athletic Club looked more like a Harlem Globetrotters show than a cup match with a trophy on the line.
For as good as Barcelona
has been lately, the wins for the most part haven’t come easy. It’s nice to see a game put away early so that players can get some reset with the hectic schedule that awaits them.
What’s been most encouraging has been the collective aspect of Barcelona’s recent results. There is no dependency on Lamine Yamal or Pedri, as some had feared. Lamine started the game from the bench, and in his place, Roony Bardghji had his best game since arriving at the club.
Barcelona at the moment are putting in complete team performances from top to bottom.
Joan García went head to head against Unai Simón and made it look painfully obvious which goalkeeper should be Spain’s number one on merit.
The midfield tandem of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong dominated control of the game, while the forward line continues to be a rotating cast of goal scorers.
Hansi Flick has to be feeling good about his options at the moment.
But Barcelona can’t get ahead of themselves. For all of the momentum that that they have been building since October when the were well beaten by Real Madrid in the Clásico, they still have to prove that they can win when the pressure is high against the biggest opponents.
The Supercopa final on Sunday will be the opportunity to gauge where they are really at.
A year ago, they dominated Real Madrid 5-2, to claim Hansi Flick’s first trophy as Barcelona manager, and they used it as a springboard in their victorious pursuit of La Liga and Copa del Rey titles as well, while falling agonizingly short in the Champions League semifinals.
We will now see what this iteration of Barcelona are made of, and what we can expect from them in the months to come.
How hungry are they for trophies?
Can they make a statement that the reigning champions of Spain are still the team to beat?
On Sunday, the world will be looking for answers in Saudi Arabia, and Barcelona have a chance to use the Supercopa final as a stepping stone to bigger and better things to come this season.
