Barça is filled with morale against Sevilla

Barça took the roller against Sevilla. The team led by Hansi Flick won 5-1 in a match in which they were superior and in which they made the difference with doubles from Lewandowski and Pablo Torre and a goal from Pedri. With these three points, the Blaugrana remain leaders alone and are filled with morale before a key week in which they will face off against Bayern and Real Madrid.

Match by match. As if he were Cholo, Flick ignored the upcoming duels and focused on a capital match to gain an advantage in the table and to gain morale. He included the entire artillery in the eleven, including Ansu Fati who entered as a novelty for Eric García, injured in the warm-up, and caused a domino effect. Pedri fell to the engine room and Raphinha to the midfielder in a disposition that did not alter the plan of pressing in the opposite field and trying to resolve as soon as possible a duel that was supposed to be high-flying.

And Sevilla had a plan. García Pimienta betrayed himself and gave up meters in order to give his options to the counterattack. Barça were going to have won the battle for possession and Ejuke, Lukebakio and Isaac Romero would be a threat on the run. Thus came two attempts at danger that the Barça defense resolved. The scenario seemed uncertain, but everything was going to be clarified for Flick’s team in a paradoxically childish mistake by Peque. The attacker tripped Raphinha and the mistake was punished by Lewandowski from the penalty spot to pave the way for the start of the match.

The goal changed everything. It disoriented a Sevilla team that didn’t know whether to cover its head or feet and freed a Barça team that, with an advantage, found its best version. The ball circulation accelerated, Lamine Yamal and Balde opened the field and Pedri appeared where he best shows his splendor. The canary was the helm and appeared on the balcony of the area to nail the second with an unappealable right hand for Nyland. The avalanche was already total and Sevilla had no arguments to stop it. Lewandowski forgave a one-on-one and before the break he scored the third after a shot by Raphinha that he deftly deflected into the net.

After the restart, Barça wanted more. Flick has repeatedly said that he wants his team to maintain the pace for the ninety minutes and the duel was there to show that his speech has resonated. The culés came out of the locker room as if they had to come back. They kept up the pressure and continued to surround Nyland’s goal. They were an accordion, side by side, until Lamine Yamal changed the register. He signed a shot from the outside into the top corner that Nyland sent for a corner when Lluis Companys was already licking his lips and left Raphinha alone in front of the goal with a pinpoint ball that did not score the fourth due to offside.

It was the last rush before Flick began to look askance at what lies ahead next week. Bayern and Madrid are waiting and the German knows it, as he retired Lewandowski, Raphinha, Pedri and Lamine Yamal in the final stretch. He took advantage of the opportunity to introduce Fermín López and Gavi, who played ten minutes as captain and under a thunderous ovation from Lluis Companys. His entry came after Pablo Torre scored the fourth with a shot that was poisoned after hitting two defenders and just before Idumbo for the Seville team and again Pablo Torre after a cross that found no finisher closed the account. Thus, Barça pocketed three more points to remain the sole leader and gain morale before a key week in the Champions League and the League.