Barca bounce back with doubles not egos
Barcelona bounced back from a disappointing draw with Rayo by swatting aside Valencia in an impressive show of firepower, even without injured talisman Lamine Yamal.
Alejandro Balde, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong were also forced out of action due to injury – but that simply didn’t matter as Barcelona were far too strong for Carlos Corberan’s men.
Hansi Flick had warned Barcelona that “egos kill success” after Rayo, a comment that created many headlines, and one that his players seemed to have taken on board
as they put in a sensational display.
Led by Pedri, they simply ran riot against Los Che. Again. Fermin Lopez scored twice, so did Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski also got his La Liga campaign up and running with a brace.
There was plenty to more like to like as well on a pretty perfect night. Roony Bardghji made his debut, Marcus Rashford got an assist, while Marc Casado also shrugged off speculation about his future with a fine outing.
And the icing on the cake came in the closing minutes, as Hansi Flick acknowledged afterwards. “The most important thing is that Marc Bernal returned. You see the fans were happy, and I’m very grateful too.”
Fermin sends out strong message
Barcelona opened the scoring against Valencia with a lovely goal from Fermin. Pau Cubarsi got things going with a ridiculous pass, Ferran skilfully flicked it on and Lopez finished with aplomb.
After a summer where his future has been in the spotlight, it was a great moment from Fermin and one he used to show his commitment to the club.
The youngster celebrated by pointing to the floor, a gesture to confirm that he’s going nowhere, and then gave the Barca badge a kiss for good measure.
He wasn’t finished there, either. Lopez’s second goal was just as eye-catching, as he smashed an absolute rocket from distance past a despairing Julen Agirrezabala.
Chelsea may well have wanted Lopez in the summer, but a transfer would have made little sense for the player or for Barca where he’s now growing in importance.
Fermin possesses a refreshing relentlessness, can be deadly in front of goal and looks absolutely determined to force his way into Hansi Flick’s starting XI on a regular basis.
Raphinha takes it out on Valencia
Raphinha found himself on the bench against Valencia after being sanctioned by Flick for turning up late. It was the latest frustration in a week where he’d complained about playing at altitude for Brazil and also made headlines for accusing Disneyland of racism.
Flick opted to unleash Raphinha at half-time, and the look on his face as he took to the pitch showed that he meant business.
In fact he only needed 10 minutes to double Barcelona’s lead and effectively secure all three points.
Marcus Rashford swung in a ball from out wide, and Raphinha made sure he was in the right place at the right time to finish it off.
He wasn’t finished there, either. A second goal arrived just after the hour mark and there was real venom in the strike as Raphinha made it 4-0.
