Barca find a way through the chaos
Barcelona and Celta Vigo played out a chaotic game at Balaidos, with Hansi Flick’s side finding a way through the madness to take all three points.
Marcos Alonso gave Barcelona a helping hand in the early exchanges, as his handball led to a penalty that saw Robert Lewandowski open the scoring with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
Yet Barcelona gave up their lead almost immediately and in familiar style. Once again Flick’s backline was breached far too easily and Sergio Carrera made it 1-1. How many times have we seen that exact same goal already this season?
The two sides swapped goals again just before half-time, before Lamine Yamal struck the fifth of the evening to make it 3-2 in first half stoppage time.
Flick clearly had words with his players at the break as the second half was a different story entirely. The press was better and ensured Celta barely had a sniff, even after sending on Bryan Zaragoza and Iago Aspas.
Both players have hurt Barca in the past but it ended up being Lewandowski who scored the next goal to make it 4-2 and secure a really important three points.
Frenkie de Jong deserves huge credit for ensuring Barca took control of the second half (even if he did finish the game with a late red card), while masked man Eric Garcia and Fermin Lopez also shone once again for the visitors.
Three’s the magic number for Lewandowski & Rashford
While Barca may be shipping goals at an alarming rate, their attack remains as lethal as ever. Flick’s men scored four, could have had a few more, and are comfortably La Liga’s top scorers after 12 games played.
Lewandowski was back in the starting XI against Celta Vigo, taking over from Ferran Torres, and displayed some clinical finishing to walk off with the match ball on his first start for a month.
The veteran striker’s future has been in the headlines in recent weeks, but his three goals against Celta mean he’s now Barca’s top scorer this season despite having missed plenty of games through injury.
His first came from the penalty spot, while his second was from close range from a Marcus Rashford cross. Lewandowski then headed home a Rashford corner to seal the win and show once again he remains one of the best around even if he is in the twilight of his career.
Rashford ended up played a direct role in three of the goals and his stats for the season make for really excellent reading.
Yet question marks remain about his overall contribution to the team and starts may become thin on the ground again when Raphinha returns from injury.
International break comes at a good time for Barca
Barca’s win means that Flick’s side were able to take advantage of Real Madrid’s slip up earlier in the day to cut the gap at the top of the table to three points going into the international break.
Given the team’s recent form, and the injury nightmare Flick has had to contend with so far this season, it’s not the worst position in the world to be in for Barca.
The international break now gives Barca time to reset and also recover some injured players. Joan Garcia and Raphinha have both been badly missed but are due back in Barca’s next game.
They will be needed, particularly as Frenkie de Jong will have to sit out the visit from Athletic Club after being sent off in the dying moments of Sunday’s win.
The Dutchman’s red card was another blow at the end of what’s been a difficult week for Flick and Co, but this victory at Balaidos at least means the team head into the break in good spirits and with a really morale-boosting victory under their belts.
