Barcelona extended their lead atop La Liga back to 4 points by smashing Sevilla at Montjuic on Sunday night.
With Bayern Munich and Real Madrid up next it was imperative for Hansi Flick’s men to avoid the FIFA virus and beat Sevilla. And, well, they did.
But that wasn’t the story.
Lethal Lewandowski
While the Andalucians started the game brightly, after Barcelona got a very soft penalty for a foul on Raphinha (who looked more like Neymar or Vini Jr. with his theatricality and deception) that was converted by Robert Lewandowski, it was over.
The Pole converted the penalty and added the third goal later in the half by deflecting Raphinha’s shot into the net (while just staying onside) to take his season’s total to 14.
That’s a ridiculous number of goals to score given we’re in the middle of October. Last season under Xavi the Polish striker didn’t score his 14th goal of the season until FEBRUARY. Xavi will rightly be jealous of the production Flick is getting.
But that wasn’t the story.
Pedri and Raphinha stars of the show
While Lewandowski had the numbers again, and was voted the MVP again, Pedri and Raphinha were the stars of the show for the first hour of the game.
The midfielder was down to start as the no. 10 but a late injury to Eric Garcia drafted him deeper into the double pivot, a move which harmed Sevilla more than it helped them because Pedri is so much better playing from deep.
Pedri ran the show, linking with his team-mates and driving the ball forward. His display was capped when he ran onto Lamine Yamal’s cutback and absolutely HAMMERED IT into the top corner.
And while Raphinha’s goal contributions were just winning a penalty and an unintentional assist, his energy and drive was such a destabilising factor.
Whenever there was a loose ball in Sevilla’s half, one could genuinely have expected Raphinha to be one of the men chasing after it.
Whenever there was a bit of pressing that had to be done, one could genuinely have expected Raphinha to be one of the men doing it.
It was a sublime display from the Brazilian as he moved onto 6 assists so far this season (with only Lamine Yamal the miracle child having more with 7).
After being linked with an exit all summer, Raphinha is emerging as one of the genuine leaders of Hansi Flick’s Barceloa side. A man who was the “on-field captain” when Marc-André Ter Stegen wore the armband, and is now the literal captain.
But that wasn’t the story.
Kounde’s 100 games
While Pedri and Raphinha were so good, Jules Kounde quietly put in yet another superb display where he was just a magnificently solid defensive presence and even an increasingly menacing attacking one.
The way in which Kounde has adapted to being a right-back, to the extent that now you really couldn’t tell he never played there regularly until a couple of years ago (and never liked playing there until a couple months ago) has been sublime.
This was also Kounde’s 100th appearance for Barcelona, and that it came in an emphatic victory against his former club felt poetic in a way that football and sport can sometimes be.
But that wasn’t the story.
Gavi
The story was Gavi.
Gavi is back!
Almost a year after his horrendous ACL and meniscus injury suffered when Luis de la Fuente needlessly played him in a meaningless friendly (and then sent him back onto the pitch after he picked up a knock), Gavi finally returned to football.
“I’m very happy to be back with the team after so long. I've been dreaming about this moment for months. I’m very grateful.” — Gavi
335 days of agony, of pain. 48 Barcelona games missed, Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph missed. Gavi has suffered and Barcelona have suffered for his absence as well (Spain missed him plenty too but still managed to do just about enough to take home the trophy) because there is no one quite like Gavi.
Part La Masia fancy boy, part Andalucian hothead. Gavi plays like if Sergio Ramos came through La Masia instead of being mentored by Javi Navarro and Pablo Alfaro at Sevilla.
A relentless ball of energy and precision, Gavi is so often the heart and soul of Barcelona and there were so many games last season where the Blaugrana were missing their heart and soul. The Champions League capitulation to PSG probably doesn’t happen with Gavi on the pitch, for one.
“I’ve missed playing football, it’s what I’ve done my whole life.” — Gavi
And while Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have managed to get through without Gavi so far, there will undoubtedly be games on the horizon where they will need Gavi’s relentlessness.
The Bayern Munich and first Clásico probably come too soon for Gavi to have a real impact (though don’t rule it out) but, looking further ahead, there are the European clashes with Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta, not to mention another grudge match against Atlético Madrid. These are all games where Gavi will be needed.
And now Hansi Flick will be able to use him.
Barcelona won big against Sevilla, great goals and fabulous football. Many men took their own wins on the night, but the biggest victory was the 10 minute cameo from Gavi, both for the feelgood factor but also the implications for the rest of the season.
“Long is the way and hard, that out of hell leads up to light.” — Milton
It’s been a long, long while — but it’s great to see Gavi play football again.
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