And for a few moments, Fermín became Messi: the hot notes from Leganés-Barça

BarcelonaBarça's hard-fought victory at Leganés. Only a second-half own goal broke the Madrid side's resistance. With this victory, Hansi Flick's team has another three points in La Liga. Here are some quick notes.

Leganés floats the evidence. The game plan of the cucumber trees He was crystal-clear from the first minute. In attack, they avoided risks to defuse Barça's pressure and concentrated their danger on second-round plays, while in defense, they left their field empty and blatantly floated Araujo out of the box for the Blaugrana, who sorely missed Cubarsí and De Jong in this role. In such tight situations, a scorer with as many limitations with the ball as the Uruguayan greatly affects the game when the team needs to be such a key player. Defending the box in specific vulnerable situations is sensational, but considering what Flick demands of a center-back, Araujo struggles too much. No surprises if he leaves this summer.

An outstanding student. Aware of the problems associated with starting Araujo, Flick brought on De Jong at halftime and moved Eric Garcia back into the center of the pitch. Less than five minutes later, Barça took the lead. With the Dutchman in the middle, everything flows more smoothly. However, in the specific move that led to the 0-1, a Leganés own goal, the poor work of Gerard Martín, who had to replace Balde due to injury in the first half, shone brightly. The Esplugues defender recovered a key ball in one of the few moments Leganés allowed themselves some creative license. Quietly, he is one of the youngsters who has best learned Flick's lessons. He never stands out, but rarely misses the mark. A great find.

The day Fermín wanted to do a Messi. It didn't end in a goal by inches, but the sequence deserves a note and even a headline. It was the 58th minute and Fermín, who has moved in front of Gavi now that Dani Olmo is injured, collected a loose ball on the edge of the box. Surrounded by opponents in a very small rectangle, he fired up and shook off three markers with a spectacular pass to himself. While the Andalusian isn't the most skillful dribbling player, on this occasion he paid homage to the greatest in history. What a shame Fermín didn't finish it. It would have sealed the match. And it would have gone around the world.

The value of being providential. Flick's Barça earned one of their ugliest victories of the season at Butarque. But whatever happens, in the fight for La Liga, they're worth just as much as the thrashings that excite the Catalans so much. We won't be picky at this point, with so much heat on our shoulders. From this trip to Madrid, the Catalan team takes away the certainty that Raphinha can be as useful in attack as he is in defense—a brutal save to salvage a 1-0 lead before halftime—and that Szczesny, even though Ter Stegen is tipped to return between the sticks, remains a guarantee. What a save from the Pole in the opening minutes. And also pay attention to Iñigo's stoppage time intervention to deny Munir a 1-1 draw. What a center-back, you.