FC Barcelona are set to take on Real Valladolid in La Liga on Saturday in what will already be their fourth game of the campaign. Hansi Flick’s team have gotten off to a flying start with three wins out of three so far.
The sweeter part about this start is the fact that Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, traditionally Barcelona’s two title rivals have already dropped points in two out of their three games so far, giving the Catalan club an early four-point lead.
Barcelona are the only club with a perfect record in La Liga so far and face a team that sits 11th in the table with one win, one draw, and one loss in their three games so far. Hansi Flick’s men will be hoping to continue the perfect record.
That said, here are our three talking points for Barcelona ahead of their La Liga clash against Real Valladolid on Saturday.
1. 12 out of 12?
Every Barcelona fan is hoping right now that the club can make it four out of four wins in La Liga this campaign in what will be a dream start to the Hansi Flick era. Despite the off-field distractions and injuries, the team has continued marching forward.
Much of the credit needs to go to Hansi Flick for what he has done with this team. The German coach has gotten a group of youngsters and a few experienced heads to buy into his philosophies and play an attacking brand of football.
Players like Raphinha look transformed this season under Flick and the entire team plays with a lot of energy and zest. The attitude does not change whether it is the first minute or the 90th minute and the pressing has the same intensity for the entire game.
If Barcelona can do all their basics right against Valladolid, they should be able to make it 12 out of 12 comfortably before dispersing for the international break. It would be sweeter if the team could win by a scoreline that isn’t 2-1 this time.
2. Who will replace Marc Bernal as the #6?
Marc Bernal suffered an unfortunate ACL injury in the game against Rayo Vallecano which is expected to keep him out for the rest of the season. It’s such a shame considering how good the 17-year-old has been.
Hansi Flick now needs to innovate and identify another player who can play in that position going forward. The chosen one is likely to be Marc Casado against Valladolid. The other option the German coach has is Eric Garcia.
Casado has the experience of playing as the sole pivot for youth teams and will have to do the same for Barcelona at the highest level. He might not be positionally as disciplined as Bernal is but he can do a job in this role.
With Flick most likely opting to use a double pivot, Casado will have some support to help him out at the base of midfield. Let’s see if the ex-Barca Athletic captain can channelize his inner Marc Bernal against Valladolid.
3. Can Hansi Flick’s team play a better first half?
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have had a pattern to starting games so far. They start off slow and have conceded first in two out of three games so far. Much of the first half is spent in figuring out the opposition’s tactical setup.
If there is one thing the German coach would want, it is for his team to start the game well against Valladolid. The club cannot keep depending on second-half comebacks as it would not be sustainable in the long run.
For a change, it would be nice to see Barcelona take the game to the opposition and score a couple of first-half goals if not more. It would help fans watch the game a bit more peacefully than they have in recent times.
If Barcelona could play a first-half like the second halves they have played so far this season, fans could be in for an exciting game. Let’s see if things go as expected.
