Hansi Flick’s Barcelona continue to make steady progress despite all the outside noise — and being unable to register Dani Olmo, their star signing of the summer.
There was concern over the summer that the team would not have enough time to adapt to the arrival of Flick and his staff, plus the delay in players returning from their successful Euros and Olympic campaigns.
But after the 2-1 win away to Valencia, they saw off Athletic Bilbao, who beat them in the Copa del Rey semi-final last season, by the same scoreline. Robert Lewandowski was again the match winner, with Lamine Yamal having opened the scoring.
Relations between Barca and Athletic have not exactly been cordial after the courting of Nico Williams and the tension was palpable right from the start.
Bilbao and former Barca head coach Ernesto Valverde, who said he didn’t expect a heated atmosphere at the temporary home of Montjuic because “it’s full of tourists”. The response was an almost full attendance — 46,448 watched Flick’s home debut. And despite the tourists, there was a heated atmosphere.
The Athletic’s Laia Cervello Herrero analyses the key talking points.
How was Nico Williams’ return to Barcelona?
Williams’ name has sounded like a wanted man’s every day in Barcelona this summer after his exploits in helping Spain win the Euros.
When he came out onto the pitch before the game, he was seen talking with the youngsters in the Catalan squad — Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Fermin Lopez and Yamal.
The fans booed him for turning Barca down and followed the tone throughout the game every time the younger Williams brother, Inaki, touched the ball in his first start this season. The boos were often as all the dangerous moves Valverde’s side made — especially in the first half — came through him.
When Yamal scored, he went to a corner to celebrate by dancing as he did at the Euros. This time, he changed partners. Balde, another close friend of Williams, accompanied Yamal while, a few metres away, his summer dance partner, Nico, watched from a distance.
Lamine Yamal’s playground
He is only 17 but Yamal was the leader of the Barcelona team against Athletic.
His cheekiness on the pitch and his calmness and joy are a breath of fresh air for this club. Thousands of fans came to the stadium wearing their new shirts with Yamal’s number on the back.
In the 24th minute, he picked up a rebound from the Basque defence, repositioned himself in the centre and fired a shot from the edge of the box with 12 players in front of him that neither Inigo Lekue’s deflection nor goalkeeper Alex Padilla could stop.
“I saw a bit of space and I saw Nico coming, who is not very intense in defence, and when I found space, I shot. I always look for the goal,” said Yamal.
To cover for him, Yuri Berchiche needed help from Nico Williams, who at times seemed to be playing as a full-back to stop Yamal.
After the match, Yamal’s family took to the pitch with his younger brother, mother and cousin. In the stands, the fans waited while Yamal was attending to the press, to give him a standing ovation and ask for his autograph.
His effect is unstoppable.
Is Pedri back to his best?
There was a time when, without Pedri, Barça would fall apart. Injuries due to an excessive number of minutes in 2021 for Barca and Spain at the Euros and Olympics tooks its toll on him in the form of repeated injuries.
After the injuries came the psychological recovery but the 21-year-old midfielder is back healthy and standing out again.
Pedri is showing glimpses of his best form (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Against Valencia he played half an hour and started in the meeting with Bilbao. At the start, he played closer to Marc Bernal, who impressed again, than to Lewandowski.
He set the tempo of the team. His impact was especially noticeable in the second half. As soon as the midfielder took the wheel, Barca moved up a gear and Bilbao suffered.
Pedri played a role in the decisive move of the match, assisting Lewandowski for the winner in what was a beautiful move.
The player has worked hard physically and psychologically and sources at the club, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, believe that this could be his season.
Increased control — and fitness levels
The highlight for Barca was the feeling that the team had the game under control. In the second half, despite the equaliser, they never looked as if the game was going to get out of hand.
That problem had occurred in almost every game last season, when despite winning, the team gave no guarantee that they would not end up losing.
The physical improvement is evident. The players no longer seem to be exhausted from the 60th minute onwards. They reach the final minutes at a high level and that will make a huge difference as the season unfolds.
Moreover, with Flick, everything that seems chaotic on an institutional level is transformed into the opposite on the pitch, into order and peace. He has brought back the best version of the players, who seem to believe in his ideas.
The early signs are promising — just imagine what they could do if they can register Olmo.
What next for FC Barcelona?
Tuesday, August 27: Rayo Vallecano (A), La Liga, 8.30pm BST, 3.30pm ET
(Top photo: Yamal celebrates the opening goal. Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
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