With Pedri and Frenkie de Jong unavailable to start, Hansi Flick used Marc Casado and Marc Bernal as his double pivot with Olmo ahead.
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Gerard Martín joined Pau Cubarsi as a center back, while Alejandro Balde and Eric García were the full backs. In attack, the team featured the trio of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, all starting together for the first time this season.
The victory in Spotify Camo Nou places Barcelona provisionally at the top of the table, two points ahead of Real Madrid, who will play today against Girona.
Barça Universal brings you three conclusions from Barcelona 3-1 Deportivo Alavés.
Raphinha has returned as if he had never left
Barcelona’s performance against Alavés may not have been the most convincing of the season, especially after they conceded the goal early in the match.
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What was surprising, however, was how influential the players returning from injury looked that night, and how superior they seemed to the seemingly “in-form” names.
Raphinha made his first start since returning from injury and words cannot put into perspective what he contributed to the team’s performance.
With the Brazilian wide on the left flank, Barcelona’s attack appeared to advance further down that flank than Lamine Yamal did on the right. Alejandro Balde also looked more powerful than ever, connecting with the captain.
What stood out the most was Raphinha’s work rate off the ball and how he was the team’s most effective presser despite returning from injury. He urged his teammates to also contribute to the press and made the team look much better.
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In the end, it was no surprise that two of Barcelona’s goals were only possible thanks to their overlapping runs and cuts, which were lethal, and Flick will be pleased with how sharp Raphinha looked.
Olmo and Yamal look elegant
Lamine was very good against Alavés. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Aside from Raphinha, there were a few other Barcelona players who outperformed Alavés in relation to what they have shown all season, with Olmo and Yamal being the main candidates.
Dani Olmo, for the first time this season, looked very good playing as an attacking midfielder and made all the right movements both on and off the ball.
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It is difficult to say whether his good performance was directly related to Raphinha’s return to the field, but the Spaniard was sharper than ever, combined well in small spaces and could well have scored four goals.
For Flick, Olmo couldn’t have stepped up at a better time, especially considering Fermín López’s untimely injury. After all, he scored the goal that gave the team the lead in the first half and scored the third goal again at the end.
For Yamal, the match was an indication that he is slowly returning to his previous level and that his injury may go away. It is clear that he still suffers some discomfort and does not accelerate as much as last season, but the performance gave hope.
Yamal was confident in attacks, produced some wonderful dribbling sequences and closed out the match with a goal and an assist to his name. He may not be free of his pubalgia yet, but we hope he will soon.
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Hansi Flick’s understandable concern
What impressed fans around the world most last night was the image of the devastated Hansi Flick sitting on the bench dazed after the match, looking almost helpless and defeated, with Raphinha consoling him.
Seeing a picture like this after the team won a game 3-1 shows the astronomical expectations the coach has of his team and how he feels disappointed by their lack of commitment.
One of the main reasons for Flick’s disappointment and concern, needless to say, was the obvious drop in intensity once Raphinha was withdrawn, something that indicates that the team only presses when led by the Brazilian.
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The lack of initiative to do better, press as a unit and dominate games as they did last season worries the coach, since his entire defensive setup is based on maximizing pressure as a unit and taking advantage of attacking opportunities.
There is still a long way to go, and with Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Raphinha back in their starting positions for the next match, there is hope that the team will only grow in a positive direction.
However, one can only understand why Flick feels so defeated this season, and there is a real need for players to see the same and step up to deliver.