Being first in the League is child's play with this Barça

BarcelonaIn life, a detail can change everything. In football, it often happens too. Barça consolidated their position at the top of the table after a comfortable win against Real Sociedad, an afternoon without scares at the Olympic Stadium in a match that changed completely when the Basques, who had started playing very well, were left with one man less after 17 minutes of play. The first few minutes were dominated by the visitors, with a goal disallowed for offside and approaches from the wings, but once Elustondo saw red, the match changed completely. It was a piece of cake for a team that had a blast on the pitch. Madrid is now three points behind. And Atlético is holding on firmly in second place. The end of the League will be exciting.

The script could have been written by Flick. A thrashing without suffering too much, being able to make some rotations and changes in the second half, to protect the legs of some key players. What was a perfect 60th birthday present for Flick was a nightmare for Imanol Alguacil, who always tries to make his team play well. But he has not managed to do so this year. La Real, however, tried to surprise with the first few minutes in which they twice fell into the trap of Barça's offside trap. It continues to work, that advanced defence that invites rivals to bite and then find themselves trapped in a spider's web. But Barça had not come out comfortable in a game in which a lot was at stake, after seeing on television how Madrid came out scalded from the Betis field. Flick had decided to rest De Jong and Balde, to put Gerard Martín and Marc Casadó on. A winning move, since not even the German coach would have imagined that these two La Masia players would be the ones to score the first two goals. In fact, these are the first goals for the Esplugues de Llobregat full-back and the Baix Montseny midfielder with Barça. A special day that neither of them will forget.

Flick had also made Dani Olmo play in the starting eleven, who was in charge of forcing Elustondo to get the red card in a move in which he could have broken through the visiting defence. The player from Valles got on well with Raphinha, who was wide open, and Lamine. The genius from Rocafonda is still without a goal, but he is not too worried. Happy in his role as a winger, he opens the field, torments the full-backs, crosses and gives away goals. Yamal is having a sweet moment of play, having fun and having fun. He would start to create the first goal, in a play in which Olmo sent it to the wing where Balde usually arrives. This time Gerard Martín arrived, punctual for his date with history. A few minutes later, a shot from Olmo touched the body of Casadó, who was not expecting it. A curious first goal, from the midfielder, who was almost ashamed to celebrate. His teammates made sure he did it, loving him as they do. Even if it is a rebound, the first goal should always be celebrated. In life, it is always necessary to celebrate things.

Lewandowski, 34 goals

The game was decided. And Real Sociedad was condemned to martyrdom on Montjuïc. Barça continued to have fun in the second half, without forcing too much, since on Wednesday it is time to return to the Champions League in Lisbon. First it was Araujo who scored the third goal and then Lewandowski, with a rebound that allowed him to continue to increase his scoring figures even on a day when he was somewhat absent. With this goal, the Polish striker is now 34 and has signed his best scoring season in Barça. In a team where he lives surrounded by young faces, listening to musical rhythms that he must not understand and making jokes that they do not buy, the veteran striker does not usually fail. However, with greater or lesser presence he makes a difference inside the area, where he is happy.

Everything was going well for a Barça that was having a big party. Without hiding much that he was already thinking about the future, Flick changed Pedri, Cubarsí and Raphinha before the hour mark. One of them, the central defender, was a kid. But the player from Estanyol is already essential in this Barça. It is the magic of La Masia. Many things change in this world, but the Barça youth team continues to produce talent. Kids who dream of being Barça footballers when they are young keep coming and make their dreams come true. And some of them make their debut as goalscorers.

Flick made more changes, keeping Lewandowski on the pitch for the whole 90 minutes to see if he could score another goal. Ferran Torres would look for him again and again, without luck, at the end of the match that no longer had much history. Barça was already thinking about the next challenge, the Champions League. The challenges never end for a team full of youngsters, full of creatures, who have Barça leading the League and living in the Cup and the Champions League. A child's game among adults.