The trip to Rayo Vallecano hasn’t had many great memories for Barcelona in recent seasons. It has been a difficult hunting ground for the Catalan club who have struggled to come away with the three points but they managed to do so last night.
On the smallest playing field in La Liga, Barcelona have struggled to find space to play their intricate game. However, the direct nature of Hansi Flick’s team helped the club put out an impressive second-half display in their 2-1 win.
Make no mistake, it was a difficult game from a Barcelona perspective. They conceded very early on after a Marc-Andre Ter Stegen mistake and were not able to force the issue for the rest of the first half. The team looked devoid of creativity.
The second half was a completely different story though as the introduction of Dani Olmo changed the game in Barcelona’s favor. The 26-year-old was sublime on the ball and was unlucky to finish the game with just one goal against his name.
Speaking about the fixture, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Hansi Flick admitted that Barcelona haven’t had the best of times in this stadium. Here is what the German coach had to say:
“When you look at the results of the last three years we expected a difficult match, but today we won”
Flick went on to add that he likes what he saw from his team in the second half. He also added that ultimately, what matters is that his team are now three from three in the league:
“In the second half we made good combinations, it’s three points, 9 out of 9. Marc ‘s injury is not good, it’s the only thing that makes us sad”
Bernal had a fantastic game against Rayo and it’s a shame that an impressive individual and team display has been overshadowed by a potential ACL injury that the 17-year-old has suffered. It is a shame considering how good the youngster has been.
Flick will need to get creative again as he looks to replace Bernal in the pivot position. We covered a story of two potential in-house options that the German coach can consider. Looking in the market doesn’t seem a realistic possibility considering the club’s financial position.
Hansi Flick will be keen to make it 12 from 12 this weekend when Barcelona take on Valladoid at home at the Montjuic. It has been a dream start for the German so far and let’s hope he can take the club on an high into the international break.
