Barça was back to its old self

Barcelona needed to get back to winning ways, and a harmless Alavés team paid the price. Two consecutive losses for a team that felt invincible at the start of the season didn’t sit well. Not because they weren’t possible—they certainly were—but because they brought Flick’s team back down to earth. The silver lining to those losses is that they came early, with plenty of time to recover, and that—aside from next Sunday’s trip to the Metropolitano—it’s early November and Flick’s men have already gotten 75% of the season’s toughest matches out of the way. Now comes a calmer stretch, as was the case with the visit from Alavés, who arrived on a six-game winless streak. Logic prevailed, and Barcelona regained the lead by comfortably picking up three points with a lopsided victory—just like the one before the two losses.

Alavés lined up in a 4-5-1 formation with two very high lines, looking to narrow the field against Barça, but their game plan lasted only eight minutes. Pedri broke through the lines by playing the ball to the unmarked Fermín, who delivered a killer pass for Raphinha to make it 1-0. It was the Brazilian’s 14th goal in LaLiga. Quique Sánchez Flores’s team, far from being shaken by the goal, had two good chances of their own, but Rebbach fired wide on a cross from Angel Pérez despite having everything in his favor, and Rodri blocked a header from Boyé that was headed for the net with his face. A good response from the Vitorians.

Barcelona’s absences forced Flick to field a defense as unusual as the one consisting of debutant Brian Fariñas, De Jong playing center back in place of Cubarsí, and Cancelo on the left. Alavés’s highly defensive approach helped highlight their potential weaknesses, but they passed the test well in containing a very isolated Boyé up front. Barça’s effectiveness increased in the 22nd minute when they broke through Alavés’ lines for the second time. Rodri played the ball to Lamine, who found Fermín, and Fermín’s shot beat Sivera, who could have done better. The match was decided, and now it’s time to focus on Aston Villa.

The 2-0 score really stung Alavés. And within two minutes, Raphinha and Lamine missed two more surefire goals. On the first, the Brazilian didn’t expect Sivera to let a manageable ball slip through his hands, and on the second, the Alavés goalkeeper made a spectacular save. With Quique’s team in disarray, the third goal came when Fermín set up Raphinha, allowing the Brazilian to score his 15th goal by chipping it over Sivera. The No. 9 on loan that Flick came up with continues to work wonders. Let’s hope he doesn’t get injured in Singapore during the upcoming break. And there was time for a fourth goal before halftime: a stunning strike by Lamine, a low shot from outside the box that curled just inside the post.

In the second half, Flick benched Pedri, and Quique brought on Toni Martínez to play with two forwards. But nothing changed. Barça’s dominance was total; they played as if the score were 0-0. Adeyemi missed another sure goal—just like Raphinha and Lamine had in the first half—that would have made it 5-0. It came with half an hour remaining and via VAR after Lamine chipped the ball over the onrushing Sivera following a pass from Gabriel Jesus. It was initially disallowed but overturned after a video review. Yamal’s tenth LaLiga goal—he continues to sharpen his finishing as the season progresses.

Mariano saves Alavés' reputation

After scoring their usual five goals early on, the team relaxed a bit with Raphinha and Lamine no longer on the field. But for this team, relaxing doesn't mean taking their foot off the gas, and that's how the sixth goal came about when Gordon capitalized on a great pass from Rodri to score the sixth. In the final minutes, Alavés salvaged some pride with a goal by Mariano, who capitalized on a lapse by Rodri. The objective had been more than achieved with the rout, but it stung Flick that they didn’t keep a clean sheet. The team that had everyone captivated two weeks ago is back on top and hopes to maintain this strong form for a long time. This week, it will be Emery and Simeone who try to emulate Luis Enrique and Mourinho.