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Barcelona went all out against Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday, scoring five goals past the hosts in what was their third successive rout in La Liga.
Hansi Flick’s men were ruthless in the second half and created a staggering eight big chances in the 90 minutes. However, the first half was largely unclear.
The Yellow Submarine were pressing hard in the opening phase and came close to scoring on multiple occasions before a Robert Lewandowski brace set them back against the run of play. They did, however, pull one back late in the first half.
Pablo Torre then scored a golazo from distance before a Raphinha brace sealed the deal for the Catalans.
Barça Universal brings you three takeaways for the manager from Barcelona’s 5-1 rout of Villarreal.
The Flick effect
Barcelona under Hansi Flick have been close to flawless, but many wondered how the team would fare once they were past the honeymoon phase.
The defeat against AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League midweek was, in many ways, the momentum-ending game for the Blaugrana but the manner in which the team came back from the setback has been impressive.
Unlike in previous seasons where defeats would lower the morale of the squad, Barcelona started the game against Villarreal with the confidence that has characterised them this season.
At no point did they appear to be affected by the events midweek and the change in mentality can only be attributed to Hansi Flick’s efforts behind the scenes.
It is clear that the current Barcelona team see no room for any excuses, for even Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s serious injury did not momentarily affect their performance on the field.
Flick has done a sensational job in picking up an underconfident Barcelona riddled with injuries and refurbishing them into monsters on the field. The big takeaway from the game, needless to say, is the mentality shown by the players after a defeat.
The right rotations
Pablo Torre made the most of his chance vs Villarreal. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)Heading into last night’s game, Villarreal were one of Spain’s most in-form sides and were unbeaten in their opening five games in La Liga.
Considering that the relatively weaker Getafe was up midweek, one would thus expect Flick to field a full-strength squad at La Ceramica and make rotations midweek.
The German coach, however, did not hesitate and made big rotations at the back despite knowing of the opposition’s potent attack.
Gerard Martin, Sergi Dominguez and Pablo Torre all started for the team on the night and delivered fairly solid performances. More important, however, is the confidence Flick has transmitted in them by trusting them for the big game.
While the youngsters delivered at the back, the relatively unchanged forward line kept the fireworks going in the league as they once again fired five goals past Villarreal.
Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha were all on fire and Pablo Torre’s great debut only added to the occasion.
A devastating blow in goal
Amidst all the positives for Flick to take away from La Ceramica was one particularly disturbing negative that could have massive repercussions on Barcelona’s season.
Close to the half-time mark, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen leapt into the air to collect a lofted pass towards the far post. His landing, however, got him in serious trouble and left him writhing on the floor in pain.
The scenes that followed were horrific with players of both teams frantically calling on the medical staff and the player rolling on the ground in pain. Unable to get up, he was soon stretchered off the field with what appeared to be a gruesome setback.
Now, preliminary tests have confirmed an injury to the patellar tendon on his right knee, the same one he was operated on recently. Prima facie, he looks set to face eight to nine months on the sidelines.
Barcelona’s injury list has thus only grown but the bigger conundrum for the manager is the lack of a high-quality backup. Inaki Pena struggled to fill the German’s boots last season and looked shaky last night as well.
It thus remains to be seen if Barcelona look towards the winter transfer market to sign a replacement, for their first-choice goalkeeper may not be available for the rest of the season.
