The team won 5-0. The season has started with four wins in four matches. Barcelona sit atop the points table. But even after such a dominant start, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick isn’t fully satisfied. In his view, this Barcelona side still has room to improve.
Barcelona thoroughly outplayed Valencia at the Mestalla on Sunday night. Lamine Yamal scored twice, with goals also coming from Raphinha, Fermin Lopez and Pedri. With the win, Barca have started the season with four wins in four matches, positioning themselves as a major title contender. Real Madrid, who lost to Real Betis the day before, sit third in the table, with Alaves second.
After the match against Valencia, Flick wasn’t only full of praise; even after the 5-0 win, he reminded everyone that nothing is perfect. “We played very well today, almost perfectly, you could say. We were in control of the match, we showed dominance. That’s exactly what I want — controlling the match and finding space. We managed to do that,” he said.
He then added a note of caution: “But nothing is perfect. There’s always room for improvement. We can do even better.”
Barcelona put five past Valencia. AFP
It wasn’t just the win — Barcelona’s attacking edge has been evident from the start of the season. They’ve scored five goals in three of their four matches. In all, they’ve scored 17 goals already. Raphinha, playing in a striker’s role, has scored six goals, while Fermin and Yamal have four each.
Amid this goal-scoring spree, though, discussion continues over whether Barcelona still need a genuine “No. 9.” After the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, Barcelona had been searching for a new striker. After a failed attempt to sign Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, they eventually brought in Gabriel Jesus. He made his debut as a substitute against Valencia.
But questions could arise over Jesus’ necessity if Barcelona keep scoring at this rate. Flick, however, still believes a striker is needed. “It’s clear we need a genuine No. 9. But we have a lot of quality players in attack. We have players in midfield too who can score goals,” he said.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick. AFP
The Valencia match marked Rodri’s first start for Barca. The midfielder, who joined from Manchester City, played an important role in controlling the match during his hour on the pitch. He had the most successful passes of any Barcelona player, with 81. Praising Rodri, Flick said, “We’re very happy Rodri is in our squad. Everything he does with the ball, the way he plays on the pitch — it all makes sense. When we have the ball, he keeps the team’s structure intact, and he helps out when we don’t have it too.”
Barcelona’s next La Liga match is against Levante on Sept. 13. Before that, Flick’s side face Feyenoord in the Champions League on Sept. 9.