After struggling against two difficult rivals, Levante and Rayo Vallecano, and having trouble displaying their best performance against strong defensive and high-pressure strategies, the Blaugranas managed to start the home league fixture with an impressive 6-0 win.
During the entire match, Barca dominated possession and showed what Hansi wants to see: strong ball control with surprising vertical associations. Valencia tried to copy Levante’s defensive strategy, but couldn’t even manage a mediocre performance. They wanted to defend and counterattack, but only had one shot on target by the 70th minute, when the match was already decided for Flick’s squad.
In the first half, Barca played almost entirely in the Los Che area. The opening goal came in the 28th minute, just as Hansi expected: a long pass from Cubarsi to Ferran, who assisted Fermin with a single touch, leaving him alone in front of the keeper. Fermin scored to make it 1-0, just when Barca was controlling the rhythm of the game in midfield.
Rashford, on the left wing, and Roony, who replaced Lamine during his injury absence, couldn’t activate the flanks effectively, although Marcus looked a little more connected than in recent matches. Gerard Martin’s weak participation in attack may have also been a problem for Rashford to link with the team.
The truth is that Barca should have finished the first half with a wider advantage, but it all came in the second half, where they showed their best version so far in the league.
Raphinha entered after halftime, having been benched due to his late arrival from the World Cup qualifiers break. It didn’t take long for him to revive Barca’s right side. In the 53rd minute, after a great play with a more connected Rashford, he appeared behind the Valencia defense to score the second goal.
Only three minutes later, Fermin Lopez showed once again why Barca did not sell him this summer. After all the transfer rumors, the young promise decided to stay, and although he hadn’t shown his full capacity in recent games, he scored again in the 56th minute with a fantastic long shot that the keeper couldn’t stop.
By then, the game was already defined at 3-0, but Barca kept the rhythm. In the 66th minute, Raphinha scored the fourth after a good combination with Casado and Fermin. The right side, usually taken by Lamine, came alive with a brilliant Raphinha.
With the game already sealed, Lewandowski still didn’t come on the pitch to walk. The Polish striker scored twice, in the 76th and 86th minutes, both with clinical finishes, to complete the 6-0 win.
Fermin Lopez was the man of the match, but this time the whole team displayed their best level. With Champions League action coming soon, Lamine will be key to what is ahead, but this performance showed that Barca is ready to compete even without him.