Three takeaways from Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol

Barcelona re-entered October with a firm objective in mind – to win six out of six games before the next international break, and their objective has been going to plan thus far.

After taking apart Sevilla, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in their first three games after returning, they took down Espanyol last night in a game that was far from clear.

The Catalan derby, after all, is always hard fought and has been more so in recent years with red cards flying around for fun. Last night’s clash was more straightforward on that front.

Dani Olmo opened the scoring early from a stunning Lamine Yamal pass before Raphinha teed up with Marc Casado’s delivery to make it 2-0 before the 25th minute.

Olmo’s second goal of the night came just past the half-hour mark, putting the game to bed even before the half-time whistle.

Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol.

Dani Olmo’s day out

There were mixed opinions on Barcelona’s decision to sign Dani Olmo in the summer after the operation for Nico Williams fell apart.

Some felt the youngster’s roots in La Masia would help him turn into a handy signing for Barcelona in the final third while others saw it to be a waste of the club’s limited financial resources.

No one, however, saw the kind of impact he has brought coming and it is safe to say that Joan Laporta and Deco pulled off a masterstroke.

In five La Liga appearances so far, the new signing already has five goals to his name, two of which came last night in the Catalan derby.

Olmo was exceptional for the team once more, and there is a certain aura around him in possession that few others in world football can replicate. He was once again a living and breathing cheat code in Hansi Flick’s system, creating chances with every touch.

His connection with Lamine Yamal and Pedri, in particular, were phenomenal and his runs between the lines created anarchy in the Espanyol defence. 

Olmo only needed 12 minutes to open the scoring with a deft touch before completing his brace with a strike from outside the box. When fit, he is undoubtedly one of the first names on Barcelona’s team sheet despite the heavy midfield competition.

An unaesthetic second half

Barcelona ran away with the game in the first period, but what followed after the break did not please the manager by any standards.

The Catalans came out the better team in the initial phase of the second period, and Flick understandably brought changes to rotate the midfield. Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez came on for Marc Casado and Fermin Lopez respectively.

What followed was a period of double-edged play with both sides creating chances, Espanyol the better of the two. The visitors, in fact, had the ball in the back of the net thrice after the half-time break of which one was a legal goal.

De Jong looked to be a shadow of the version he showed against Real Madrid and the double pivot with him and Pedri was structurally unsound, highlighting the importance of Casado in the team.

With Olmo off, moreover, Barcelona’s attacking transitions did not arrive as often with only Yamal holding up and dictating the transition play.

Barcelona were uncharacteristically poor through the second half with misplayed passes, incomplete buildup sequences and half-hearted pressing off the ball and even had their offside trap beaten on multiple occasions.

As Flick acknowledged after the game, there is a lot to learn from the 3-1 win and he expects a better performance midweek.

A psychological advantage

12 games into La Liga, Barcelona sit on 33 points with 11 wins and just one defeat. They have scored 40 goals so far, a staggering 19 more than second-placed Real Madrid.

With the win at Montjuic on Sunday evening, thus, the Blaugrana have extended their lead over Los Blancos to nine points as the men in white still linger at 24 points after the defeat in El Clasico.

With Real Madrid’s game at Mestalla being called off after the DANA flooding, they do indeed have a game in hand. However, their hectic calendar means that they will not be able to play the spare game anytime soon.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are thus now forced to wake up and stare at a nine-point deficit day in and day out in what is a massive psychological edge for Barcelona. 

Real Madrid may comfort themselves by saying they have a game in hand, but it is very different from three points granted.

The league could not have got off to a better start for Barcelona and they will look to keep it going in the coming months. After all, the earlier they can kill it off, the better it is for them and they are already clearly in the driver’s seat.