Three talking points for Barcelona after 5-1 Villarreal win

FC Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season under Hansi Flick with a 5-1 win over Villarreal away from home. Despite going into the game with a heavily rotated XI, the German managed to get the best out of his team.

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Barcelona and doubled the club’s lead with a floor bicycle kick. Villarreal pulled one back before the break and Flick’s men went into the tunnel with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s injury cloud hanging over them.

Villarreal understandably started the second half positively and were perhaps unlucky not to get level. However, Barcelona quickly composed themselves and settled into their attacking structure. From there on, there was no stopping them.

Hansi Flick used this opportunity to rotate the squad and ultimately saw his side walk away with a 5-1 win. The injury to Ter Stegen is a dampener in an otherwise impressive night and it remains to be seen how long the captain will be out for.

Here at Barca News Network, we bring to you three talking points from Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Villarreal at Estadi de la Ceràmica.

1. Impressive attack and a shaky defense

It’s early days under Hansi Flick but the philosophy from the German boss seems clear: ‘outscore your opponents’. Ultimately, it is goals that win you matches and the ex-Bayern boss seems keen on getting the attack clicking game after game.

This comes at the cost of neglecting the defensive structure, however. Barcelona do not mind committing numbers in attack even if it means they are vulnerable on the counter-attack, as was evident vs Villarreal last night.

Barcelona’s attack was in full flow against the Yellow Submarine but the defense was lucky to walk away with conceding just one goal last night. They were saved by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Inaki Pena and some marginal offside calls.

On days when the attack doesn’t come into its own, Barcelona might struggle and against big teams, this could become a potential area of weakness. Let’s see how Hansi Flick goes about addressing this structural defensive issue.

2. Captain Raphinha

Once Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was stretchered off just before half-time, Raphinha got the armband for the first time in his Barcelona career and the captain in him was in full flow. He showcased brilliant leadership in the second half.

Obviously, he led from the front, netting a brace in the second half. Both were excellent finishes from the Brazilian but his second goal was the best that Barcelona scored all match. Lamine Yamal came up with an incredible trivela cross to make that happen.

Raphinha was seen talking with the referee when Villarreal resorted to dirty tricks to stop Lamine Yamal. He was seen calming Marc Casado. The Brazilian took to captaincy like a fish to water and it bodes well for the club.

The 27-year-old looks set to hold on to the armband at least until Frenkie de Jong returns. Ter Stegen looks set to be out for a while and Ronald Araujo is some time away from returning. It’ll be interesting to keep an eye on how captain Raphinha goes about his business.

3. Get well soon, MATS!

He might not have had the best of starts to the season but Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is Barcelona’s captain and crucial to the way this team plays. His distribution is crucial in starting attacks and his injury comes as a cruel blow.

The moment Ter Stegen hit the ground, everyone feared the worst and that looks set to be the case. It looks like the German shot-stopper will miss a significant chunk of the season through injury and that is not a good thing.

The injury served as a dampener yet again after an impressive win from Barcelona. Much like Marc Bernal, it feels like the club lost last night despite the 5-1 win and they now wait for medical test results on Ter Stegen.

In the absence of the captain, Inaki Pena will have to step up and showcase that he can fill Ter Stegen’s shoes. One can only say, ‘Get week soon, MATS!’ and hope that the German returns in full shape and makes a speedy recovery.