Valencia – Barcelona: Lieutenant Lewandowski Helps Hansi Into Position (1-2)
Hansi Flick finds himself back in club football and keen to prove that his brilliance at Bayern was no fluke. Although he did not witness a seamless showing for his debut in the dugout, the German will be grateful for the contributions of a figure who has thrived with his handiwork.
Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.
Real Madrid are not relenting on their rulership of Spanish football. But one of the headline fixtures for the first matchday of the new LaLiga season belonged to two teams that are proud of their pasts.
The eternal rivals of the royals in the Spanish game, Barcelona bowed to their power in the hunt to hold onto their league crown. Chaos could not let loose on the affairs of the club as Xavi had swayed between staying and exiting the dugout for the first half of 2024. In the end, the legend left under a cloud, and Hansi Flick has assumed the task of turning around another paling powerhouse. Dani Olmo is the most accomplished arrival in a more modest window of activity, but demands stay sky high.
Valencia’s decline has been more terminal. Two time winners of LaLiga and two time finalists in the Champions League at the turn of the century, the hosts had not finished in the top four of the division for half a decade. Cutthroat culling of the talent in the squad has accompanied eight new managerial appointments between 2019 and 2023. Rubén Baraja is the latest man to try and manage this mess, sitting in ninth position in the standings by the end of May. How much higher can his men aspire?
Baraja brought only one new name into his starting eleven. Rafa Mir, a loanee from Sevilla, started on the right of the midfield. So, Hugo Duro and André Almeida acted as partners in the front two. At the other end of the field, Cristhian Mosquera and Yarek Gasiorowski, who won gold medals as parts of Spain Olympics and U19 squads this summer, sat in the middle of the back four. Behind them, Giorgi Mamardashvili, subject to interest from the Premier League, held onto his spot between the posts.
Flick fielded eight regular individuals from the camp for his opening act in the division. Among them was Álex Balde, who was back from a hamstring injury to fill in as the left back. However, the engine room remained bare of its usual options. Frenkie de Jong and Gavi are absentees with injuries, while Ilkay Gündogan was not a part of the squad. So, Marc Bernal earned his full debut for the first team, and Marc Casadó, featuring for the senior side for the first time, joined him in the middle of the park.
A low key affair
Under Xavi, Barcelona’s standard 3-2-5 system had grown static by the end of his tenure. That is in stark contrast to the relentless rotation and dynamism that typified the attacks of Bayern Munich in their year and a half under Flick. It would not be a case of immediate fireworks on this occasion.
Shots were scarce in the first half. On the left flank, there was little connectivity. Balde was the more offensive minded fullback, looking for forward routes through his wide slot. Once Bernal or Casadó began dropping between the central defenders to split them, he could move a little higher in the hope of better angles for ball carries. However, he could never connect with Ferran Torres, who looked pale against his old employers. Robert Lewandowski, who liked to lean leftward, was seldom a presence.
Unless Balde breached the defense from the outside, the right was more rewarding. Cubarsí and Koundé can proficiently progress the ball, and the two teammates ahead of them had more tools to display. Even if Lamine Yamal was not at his exceptional best, his feet footedness carved a few openings from the edge of the penalty area. Here, he traded letting off shots with Raphinha, whose deep involvement could invite Casadó to arrive in the final third as he did on the verge of half time.
9th minute: offensive sequence from Barcelona. Yamal crept forward on the right flank, and Koundé overlapped to occupy the width. As he shifts inside, the winger immediately begins a second run off the ball that entices Javi Guerra to push forward and engage Raphinha. Lewandowski wandered away from the ball and Torres bustles across the defense towards the center. Hence, Pepelu and Mosquera gave less attention to the central forward, and Raphinha fed a flat pass into his feet.
Cubarsí cleans up the trouble
Another trademark of Flick’s Bayern, the high press, is not foolproof. In the 43rd minute, the Catalans climbed the pitch to press, but Mamardashvili could lob the ball to Jesús Vázquez on the left flank as a release valve. The fullback flew forward, popping a pass out to Diego López. The winger wound up a delivery towards the far post, where Duro directed a header beyond Marc-André ter Stegen. The linesman lifted his flag to chalk off the strike for offside positioning. On a second review from VAR, officials saw Martínez had dropped deeper than the rest of the line, handing the hosts the advantage.
In the third minute of injury time, the stadium nearly erupted into ecstasy again. Cubarsí cut back and fed the ball to ter Stegen. The goalkeeper turned to his right, looking to spread the play to Koundé with what should have been a simple, flat pass. However, he messed up the contact with a perilous giveaway to López. The winger wanted to strike up the same connection, squaring the ball to Duro. His strike would have hit the back of the net if Cubarsí’s quick retreat had not bailed out his teammate.
Not today.🛡️🔥 pic.twitter.com/iq5RaFt5da
— Cubarsí🎗️ (@cubarsi_oficial) August 17, 2024
From that sliding doors moment, a veteran set about making his move. Seconds later, Balde broke into the final third with space and time to pick out a yellow shirt in the penalty area. He whipped a cross to the back post, where Yamal steered the ball across the face of the goal. Lewandowski leveraged his body in front of Mosquera and forced the ball in a goalbound direction. A possible two goal deficit would now be a state of parity at the midway mark of the match. It was time to regroup and improve.
Flick tidies up the test
The message had filtered through the dressing room. In the 47th minute, Torres trapped a clipped kick from ter Stegen, shifting to his left to protect the possession. From the flank, he noticed Raphinha running along the last line and punched a pass into the space behind the offside line. His teammate obliged, and Mosquera clattered into the offensive midfielder before he could claim the ball. The referee awarded a penalty with no need for consultation. Lewandowski converted from the spot.
Yamal spun away from Guerra and released Torres to strike what should have been a third goal for the guests. It was one of the final actions of his performance. Flick put on Pedri as a third midfielder, rotating Raphinha to the left wing. Andreas Christensen also came on for Cubarsí, who was walking the tightrope of a second bookable offense from his struggles in physical duels with Duro. The rest of the contest passed without much threatening action against their goal, securing victory for Barcelona.
Takeaways
Barcelona are one of only two teams to triumph in the first six fixtures of the new LaLiga campaign, sitting in second place at the final whistle. It is an ideal outcome for the new manager. However long it takes the side to play in a way that pleases Flick, he will know from his days at Bayern Munich that results matter most at elite institutions. The return of more senior members to his selection will be most welcome next week when the visit of Athletic Club could be a challenge for his body of work.
A centerpiece in the historic outfits of Valencia’s past, Baraja bemoaned that he must work with his hands behind his back. Without the investment in the squad, he felt that he had little choice except to trust the youthful figures on his bench for energy after the break. Nonetheless, the display in the first half demonstrated the bravery and aggression that he believes can be a foundation for further progress through the standings. The next fortnight has the power to seal their season’s fate for better or worse.
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