Barcelona put an end to their recent struggles with an emphatic 5-1 win at Mallorca — a game in which they brought back the upbeat vibes of their impressive start to the season under Hansi Flick.
It wasn’t until the second half when the Catalans managed to impose themselves properly. They opened the scoring early on through Ferran Torres, capitalising on a huge defensive mistake by Mallorca, but then allowed the hosts to equalise before half time after a stuttering spell in the game.
Barca wasted too many chances, and Flick had a word with his players at the interval. That proved effective. His team outplayed Mallorca upon the restart with a display that showcased their attacking firepower. Raphinha scored twice, while Frenkie de Jong and Pau Victor topped off the thrashing with two late goals.
Robert Lewandowski was rested and not required to feature.
Barca are now on top of La Liga with a four-point advantage over Real Madrid, who play one of their two games in-hand on Wednesday night against Athletic Club.
Can we call this ‘Raphinha’s Barcelona’?
“I think I am in my best moment here, to be honest,” Raphinha told Spanish TV broadcaster Movistar after the win. “But I don’t want to stop here. I just want to keep going and give more things to this club and the fans.”
Raphinha’s two goals broke the game in Barcelona’s favour, with the Brazilian the second player to reach double figures in La Liga this season. He is on 11 now, with just his team-mate Lewandowski (15) ahead of him.
Raphinha celebrates scoring at Mallorca (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
There is an argument that the 27-year-old is Barca’s most important player at present. That is not just borne of the impressive numbers when it comes to his offensive contribution this season — 16 goals and 10 assists in 21 games in all competitions — but the defensive impact he has leading the pressing line. He is now also the captain, as well as the free kick and penalty taker (in the absence of Lewandowski).
He converted the third goal from the spot on Tuesday and then crashed into the box to complete his brace.
Flick confessed after the game he had considered resting Raphinha. “We spoke with him about that,” said. “But he told us that he is feeling so good at the minute. I think we could see he was pretty good”.
The Lamine Yamal Show is back up and running
As much as Raphinha deserves the spotlight, it is Lamine Yamal’s influence on this team that continues to take the breath away.
The 17-year-old was involved in all four goals Barcelona scored in the second half. He won the penalty from which Raphinha put them 2-1 up and, 18 minutes later, delivered one of his trademark tricks — an outrageous trivela cross — to assist his team-mate again and see the game off.
This was the third trivela assist Yamal has delivered successfully this season, after two other mind-blowing demonstrations against Villarreal and Espanyol earlier in the campaign.
The irrepressible Yamal (Rafa Babot/Getty Images)
“I think I’m good at using the outside of my boot,” Yamal told Catalan broadcaster TV3. “It’s something I like to do and Raphinha knows it every time I have the ball. We get on really well and that’s why it worked. He knows he can expect that pass.”
Yamal was also involved in the build-up for the two goals that followed to complete the rout, though he missed a couple of big chances of his own. That will have been a source of frustration, though no Barca fan is concerned about his contribution to this team’s progress.
De Jong smiles after recent boos
Frenkie de Jong had been subjected to boos from Barcelona supporters in the recent games against Brest and Las Palmas, reflecting the sense that the Dutch midfielder has underwhelmed in Barca colours of late. However, he made a positive impact in Mallorca.
He replaced Dani Olmo 18 minutes from the end, charged with calming down the tempo of the game with his team 2-1 up, and instead closed the match with a goal and an assist. De Jong latched on to a loose ball in Mallorca’s box to force his team 4-1 ahead and, with six minutes remaining, delivered a cutback which Pau Victor converted with ease.
De Jong celebrates after scoring his side’s fourth goal (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This is not being an easy season for De Jong, who is returning after a serious ankle injury. Flick himself has admitted that the Dutchman is still suffering some pain in the joint and that they need to keep monitoring his fitness.
The pressure on him is not expected to ease, with De Jong entering the last 18 months of his contract in January and no resolution over his future in sight. But in Mallorca, at least, he had an easy and happy night — something that has been rare over recent months.
Ferran Torres scored, but still looks far from a threat
Flick’s biggest call ahead of the game was to drop Lewandowski to give a chance to Ferran Torres. A glance at the scoresheet would suggest the Spain international repaid the manager’s confidence. However, that masks the reality.
The goal Torres scored early was presented to him by a huge defensive mistake between Mallorca’s Johan Mojica and Martin Valjent, who were unable to clear the ball and ended up gifting an almost open goal to the Barcelona striker.
Torres’ execution was not great — in fact the ball ended up being deflected in — but ultimately worked.
Torres scored the opener but still failed to convince (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Of more concern were his problems in linking up with his team-mates, as well as two more big misses in front of goal during the first half that, had he scored, could have killed the game earlier.
In a way, this is a process expected for a player who has only just recovered from a six-week injury lay-off. This was his first start in two months and the 24-year-old might need time to adjust. He is rusty.
But in a Barca team that desperately needs quality back-up players in their attacking ranks, Torres’ performance suggested once again that he is many levels below his team-mates at present.
What next for Barcelona?
Saturday, December 7: Real Betis (A), La Liga. 3.15pm GMT, 10.15pm ET
(Top photo: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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