Coach Hansi Flick of Barcelona experienced conflicting feelings following his team’s 5-1 victory over Villarreal on Sunday.
The team’s flawless Liga season began with this win, but it came at a price: goalie Marc-Andre ter Stegen had to be stretchered out after suffering a catastrophic injury.
Hansi Flick named a much-rotated XI against an impressive Villarreal team last night in what was a very brave call from the FC Barcelona manager. It is fair to say that the team repaid the coach’s faith in them with an impressive 5-1 display.
Hansi Flick has several alternatives for filling the #10 position in the absence of Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez, who are both sidelined due to injuries. He moved Pedri up to defensive midfield alongside Marc Casado and Eric Garcia against AS Monaco in the Champions League.
Pablo Torre’s assist for Robert Lewandowski’s first goal was a masterful move. The midfielder from Spain initially opened up his body as if he was going to pass to Lamine Yamal on the right, but instead he played a deceptively disguised, precisely weighted pass through the middle to the Polish striker.
Naturally, Torre will want to stop giving the ball away as frequently as he did against Villarreal, so it was not a flawless performance. Let’s see what Flick thinks of it, but it was a promising performance from the 21-year-old, who had done enough to get a start against Getafe midweek.
Flick on Barca’s attitude
“I’m proud of how the team overcomes adversity. Villarreal is a team that never gives up and we have continued to look for more goals. And that’s what I want, to keep pressing where the ball is, for the 90 or 94 minutes that the match lasts.”
