Not many people expected Barcelona to win four games in a row when their pre-season preparations were not perfect. Before crushing Valladolid 7-0 at home, Barca won their first three games with the same score of 2-1 against Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano.
Hansi Flick's team showed that, in the most difficult times, they are still determined to overcome with the goal of winning all 3 points. Especially in the opening match of the season at Valencia's Mestalla, Robert Lewandowski and his teammates were behind and encountered many obstacles.
The last time Barca won 7-0 was in March 2014, when they destroyed Osasuna. This time, the players who helped them recreate the same score were Raphinha (hat-trick), Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and Jules Kounde.
Hosting Valladolid without midfielder Marc Bernal is a big loss for the Blaugrana. The 17-year-old suffered an ACL injury last week in the win over Rayo. Flick's solution to replace Bernal is Marc Casado. The 20-year-old midfielder focuses more on the defensive role and is the one who provides the ball to Dani Olmo and Pedri. Although not outstanding, Casado played his role well.
In this match, Raphinha was particularly excellent. The Brazilian striker scored 3 goals and had an assist for Torres. After the match, Raphinha was a bit embarrassed when interviewed about the hat-trick he had just scored. From the middle of last season until the summer transfer period of 2024, Raphinha was constantly rumored to leave due to the unbelievable excellence of Lamine Yamal. However, he chose to stay and fight for his position.
Three goals against Valladolid cannot confirm whether Raphinha will play well all season. However, after a period of quiet, the Selecao star is very professional and shows that he does not bow his head like a loser.
Another player who has been criticized is Jules Kounde. The French centre-back was once considered a weakling, the cause of the Blaugrana's defensive mistakes last season. However, after EURO 2024 was tested again, Kounde has now become an irreplaceable factor.
His progress and professionalism are shown in his willingness to take on any position, from full-back, center-back to holding midfielder. As long as he is on the field to contribute to Barca, Kounde will give his all.
The final highlight for the "Giant" is Dani Olmo - the team's only new player in a financially difficult summer. After scoring in his debut match in round 3, Olmo continued to score. The midfield of the Camp Nou team is strong and has a visible fighting spirit thanks to the energy of the 26-year-old midfielder.
Olmo not only created a good attacking game with Pedri, he also showed an impressive ability to connect with Lewandowski. The performance of this attacking trio completely satisfied coach Flick. With La Roja's bright star, the German coach will now have a lot more freedom in thinking about how to deploy the game.
After the goal, Dani Olmo pointed to his watch as if to say: "Time to go home!".
