Xavi has got Barcelona flying again

Barcelona have made a strong return from international break after crushing Real Betis 5-0 in La Liga.

The season has just started and Barcelona are beginning to take strong shape again. The return from international break couldn’t have gone any better for Xavi’s side. The Blaugrana not only decimated their opponents in Real Betis, but also completely crushed them with a 5-0 scoreline at their new home at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Montjuic, Barcelona.

It was a rare display of awesome attacking prowess from the defending La Liga champions who have suffered from a lacklustre start to the season. They began their season with a goalless stalemate against Getafe, won 2-0 against Cadiz before registering one-goal wins over Villarreal and Osasuna.

Their underwhelming start to the season also kind of forced their hands into sealing the transfers for Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix on the Deadline Day of the transfer market.

Both the Portuguese players were signed on one-year loan deals from their respective clubs - Manchester City and Atletico Madrid - and they made their debut for the club in the previous league game against Osasuna which Barca won 1-2.

However, both of them finally made their first starts for the club in this game. It was Felix who opened the floodgates for the Catalan side as he got to the end of a great cross from Oriol Romeu to find the back of the net in the 25^th minute.

Felix proved to be decisive again just six minutes later as he let the ball pass through his legs and it fell to Robert Lewandowski who found himself in a 1v1 situation with the goalkeeper and made no mistake to double the hosts’ lead.

Felix had another chance to double his tally on the night but his shot from close range got saved by Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva.

Barcelona increased their foothold in the game when Ferran Torres scored the club’s freekick since Lionel Messi’s departure in 2021. It was his last action of the game and he got replaced by Brazilian international Raphinha who made it four in the club’s favour just three minutes after entering the pitch!

Joao Cancelo put the finishing touches to the game with a sensational run and goal. Both the Joaos managed to celebrate their first Barcelona starts with maiden goals and the side looked in complete control of the contest from the very first minute until the final whistle.

Thanks to the reinforcements with the loan additions of Cancelo and Felix, it is quite clear that the ceiling of the squad has improved massively. They have also brought in former Man City captain Ilkay Gundogan, just fresh off a treble-winning season while Oriol Romeu has become a mainstay in defensive midfield and has surprised many!

The arrival of Inigo Martinez also reinforces the defence while the rise of youngsters in Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez has also been a source of great joy.

Barcelona are two points behind their arch-rivals Real Madrid at the top of the league standings but if they continue to play like this, one wouldn’t bet against them defending their La Liga title this season.

Going forward, Xavi’s side will turn their focus towards the Champions League - the one competition where they have faltered in recent years. Barcelona haven’t made it beyond the group stages over the last two seasons which is unworthy of a club of the status of Barcelona.

This time around, though, they have an easy group to deal with. The likes of Royal Antwerp, Porto, and Shakhtar Donetsk aren’t exactly expected to compete on a neck-to-neck basis with Barcelona which might also play in their favour.

Barcelona will also await the returns of Ronald Araujo and Pedri from injuries which will further bolster the quality of the starting XI. All in all, Barcelona fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic but the team also needs to tread with caution as things can change extremely quickly in football.

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