Barça suffers a major scare but is closing in on the league title.

BarcelonaOne step closer. Barça continues to edge closer to the La Liga title and will host Real Madrid next week at the Estadio Olimpico, aware that a win will seal the competition. But everything in life comes at a price, and to take the three points from Valladolid, they had to grit their teeth and work hard to avoid a setback that would have hurt. Flick's team did what they had to do, defeating José Zorrilla, but at halftime, more than a few Barça fans were rubbing their eyes watching Barça lose to a crumbling team. It was certainly the ideal match to make rotations, but Flick's team almost got their fingers cut in a duel that ended with Gavi injured. Nothing is easy, and nothing is given to you. Anyone who saw themselves as champions before their time was wrong.

The siren calls of the Champions League reached the Valladolid hotel where Hansi Flick was turning the team around. They must be humble, because it reminds them that if they have a bad day, they can end up embarrassing themselves. The future seemed like a trip back in time, with players like Ansu, Christensen back, and Gavi playing alongside Pedri. But it was the worst return to the starting lineup for the Barça captain, who before halftime prevented a second goal from a dangerous Valladolid side on the counterattack, despite having just 20% possession.

Pau Víctor, who occupied the center forward position, had two clear chances. Ansu Fati tried his luck on the left wing, while on the right, the young Basque winger Dani Rodríguez made his debut, a mischievous winger who tried his hand at a cross before only injuring his elbow. With Barça already losing and feeling uncomfortable, Flick decided to bring on the man of the moment, Lamine Yamal, in his place. And Valladolid understood that it would be very difficult to stay ahead with the winger from Rocafonda on the pitch.

Second-half reaction

Flick was furious at what he saw. At halftime, they were losing to one of the worst teams in recent decades in the Spanish League, a team that's already in the Second Division and usually plays in a stadium where the most loyal fans spend the entire match deciding whether to boo the club's owner—the Brazilian Ronaldo—or the players. So the German coach substituted Ansu, who ended up on the bench with a sour face, to bring on Raphinha after the break, alongside De Jong for Pedri. The Canary Islander could have rested for 45 minutes after not having a good day. He looks tired, in midfield. And Hansi Flick knew he couldn't make him play the full 90 minutes.

So the game had to be turned around without Pedri. But with many players who don't usually make mistakes. Raphinha took charge of equalizing, and after a good move by Gerard Martín, Fermín López scored Barça's second in the first hour of play. Fermín has become a luxury supporting player, a player who always delivers and patiently waits for his moment. A player who wins league titles, as a deep squad is necessary to do so. The second goal, in fact, was the work of players who deserve their moment of glory, like Gerard Martin, who played a good game on the wing. His cross allowed Fermín to score a valuable goal. Quick goals, to avoid getting nervous and to morale-sapping Valladolid, who went from imagining a victory to accepting a loss without being thrashed. But Flick wanted the third. He was tired of dragging out a match that should have been a formality and he put on a sour face with every missed opportunity, like the one in which Héctor Fort dressed up as Lamine, performing a roulette wheel and shot off the post. He was right, Flick, because the game was still open and Ter Stegen had to work hard to deny Latasa a goal that would have done a lot of damage. A good scare, both the play and a game in which Gavi ended up asking for a substitution. A scare before almost the entire season is played in a week that promises to be exciting. The Valladolid match, which was annoying, ultimately served as a reminder to Flick to his players that you can never relax in football. Never.