Barcelona were looking to bounce back from their Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain with a comprehensive showing against Aston Villa and did so with a 3-0 victory against Unai Emery’s men.
Let’s take a look at three talking points from the game…
Lamine & Raphinha are the difference… again
It’s all very well being the headline act, but going out and proving it week in and week out takes some doing.
Fortunately for Barcelona, they’ve the best player in the world on one wing – despite what Ballon d’Or results would suggest – and
another player who has become the worthiest of captains for the club.
And both continue to be the exemplars.
We’ve come to expect the skills, a bit of showboating and the sort of goal that Lamine can score when given the chance, but it’s the other areas of his game which can’t be overlooked.
He works as hard as any other and is a real team player, even if, on an individual level, he has no competition.
Raphinha just typifies what Hansi Flick expects from all of his players, no matter their skill set. If you don’t work hard, you don’t get a run in the side. It’s that simple.
Two more goals set the seal on a super individual showing, and one which his teammates can aspire to.
Brian Farinas slots in seamlessly
You would never have known that this match was Brian Farinas’ Champions League debut, and that’s the biggest compliment that can be paid to the 20-year-old midfielder who played at right-back again.
One particular passage of play stood out, and that was when Nicolas Jackson had beaten the offside trap and only had to get past Farinas to be in a one-on-one with Joan Garcia, but the youngster’s diligence saw to it that the Villa striker was unable to take advantage of the chance.
Farinas was positionally sound for the most part; his passes were accurate and served with purpose, and in true Barca full-back fashion, he was happy to get forward and supplement the attack.
It’s probably too early to suggest that the youngster is the answer to Barca’s prayers in the position, but he’s certainly emerged as an excellent rotation option for Hansi Flick.
Gordon and Cancelo developing an understanding
Something that’s gone a little under the radar is the understanding that seems to be building between Anthony Gordon and Joao Cancelo.
In order for both to be working the left channel effectively, they need to dovetail when Barca attack, and that’s not as easy as it sounds.
It’s knowing when to go or when to stay, in both cases, and what we saw against Villa was a pair that were almost always in sync.
A lot of the success, or not, can often be down to a full-back’s decision-making, and on this occasion, Cancelo was considered in his forays upfield.
Gordon often drifted inside with aplomb, due in no small part to the overlap from the Portuguese taking defenders with him.
Raphinha’s second and Barca’s third was made possible by the pass of the night by Cancelo, but study Gordon’s movement during that passage of play, too.
Definitely a partnership to watch as the season progresses.
