Three takeaways for Hansi Flick from Mallorca 1-5 Barcelona

Barcelona returned to their winning ways and in some style last night against Mallorca as they hammered five goals past the home side at Estadi de Son Moix.

The Catalans created a staggering nine big chances on Tuesday night, putting behind them the ghosts of Celta Vigo and Las Palmas, and once again dominated the game with complete control.

While the performance was not perfect, it will go a long way in instilling confidence in the dressing room that the goals are still there, especially with pioneers in Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo back.

Further, the game also showed the team returning to its best defensively as the offside trap was effective once more, thus providing several encouraging points to the manager.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Mallorca 1-5 Barcelona.

A much-needed turnaround

The Estadi Son Moix is not a stadium that teams usually visit and score five goals at. As a matter of fact, Mallorca had conceded only five goals at home all season before last night’s game.

To go to the fortress and put five goals past the in-form team is a statement performance from Barcelona and a much-needed one given their recent run of form.

November was a forgettable month for the Catalans on many fronts as they slipped to two losses and a draw in La Liga and threw away their lead. Just when it seemed like they had completely lost ground, however, they stepped up last night.

The first half continued to show problems in Barcelona’s buildup phase as they struggled to create chances through midfield and often resorted to long balls. Yet, they did have the better chances and should have been 3-0 up by the break with better finishing.

Coming out after the break, however, the likes of Pedri and Marc Casado stepped up once more and dictated the play, breaking defensive lines while the defence once again looked comfortable with the offside trap after ages.

A turnaround that Barcelona desperately needed and the best possible way to start the final month of the year.

Mainstays step up

The big talking point ahead of last night’s clash was the return of Marc Casado, Lamine Yamal, and Dani Olmo into the starting lineup and all of them dished out great performances.

The trio of attackers playing behind Ferran Torres, in particular, played out of their skin.

Raphinha left the game with a man-of-the-match display after he converted the penalty and scored another goal minutes later to give Barcelona the decisive lead. Apart from his goalscoring, he produced four key passes and created one big chance.

Lamine Yamal, despite looking relatively dull in the opening 45 minutes, was sensational after the break and single-handedly unlocked Mallorca’s defence time and time again.

Watching last night’s performance made it clear why the team suffers so much without the teenager for he is a genuine cheat-code in attack.

Yamal won the penalty for Barcelona, produced an outrageous trivela assist for Raphinha’s second and even repeated the outside-of-the-boot pass in the buildup for Barcelona’s fourth goal.

Apart from the duo, Olmo once again showed why he is a fixed starter in Flick’s plans as he moved around the opposition box and found well-times runs time and time again.

It was his movement that paved the way for Barcelona’s opener and again his pass that set Yamal free to win the penalty in the second half.

Most importantly, the team’s win came without Robert Lewandowski entering the field, giving the Polish striker a much-needed rest. While Ferran Torres did decently as a replacement, his finishing continues to be a matter of concern.

Substitutes make a mark

Hansi Flick’s in-game management has always been phenomenal, but last night’s substitutions only helped Barcelona put the final nail in the coffin with more dominance.

The manager brought on Pau Victor and Frenkie de Jong for Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo in the 72nd minute and the duo completely changed the texture of the game with their energy and combination.

For starters, Victor showed why he is the more appropriate replacement for Lewandowski as he brought much-needed directness and attacked the spaces in Mallorca’s half as a number nine must.

In the 79th minute, he showed great presence of mind to find Frenkie de Jong who slotted the goal into the back of the net for the team’s fourth.

Despite being expected to play deeper, De Jong featured in a more advanced role than usual last night and even linked up with his fellow substitute in the 84th minute to provide an assist.

With a goal and an assist each in just 12 minutes of coming on, De Jong and Victor staked a claim on more regular minutes for the team.