And while the top brass have their tongues hanging out...: the hot takes from the Valencia-Barça match

BarcelonaScandalous victory for Barça in their latest La Liga visit to Mestalla that we all know (0-5). The 'culers' imposed their law from the first minute against a Valencia side that looks very poor. Below, some hot takes:

Panting. After another fortune spent on signings, Real Madrid experienced their first defeat of the season against Betis the first defeat of the season. PSG, two-time Champions League winners, has yet to win in Ligue 1. Bayern, the general captain of the Bundesliga, has stumbled on the second matchday. And Liverpool, coming off a disappointing campaign, has drawn two of the three matches they have played in the Premier League. The summer miseries of the great European heavyweights contrast with a Barça that has started La Liga with an iron fist. No big team on the continent dominates their local championship with as much superiority as Flick's, which already has four wins out of four and shows no signs that would cast doubt on the fifth, next weekend.

All Gordon is missing is the goal. And it is only a matter of time before it arrives because he is doing everything right. But while success eludes him, he keeps adding assists. Five in just four appearances: a brutality with the whole season ahead. The fashionable scouser has installed himself in Flick's typical eleven. Waiting for him to start putting them in, he is living a dream adaptation alongside Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, with whom he constantly swaps positions, and also with Fermín, who is recovering from the trauma of not going to the World Cup with energy and goals. Gordon has landed on his feet in the team and in the locker room. He might not be the most imaginative attacker in the world, but it is impossible to contribute more in less time.

The differential factor of Rodri. The first start for the Madrid native with Barça was a fantastic summary of what he can contribute in the three or four seasons he has left at the highest level. Regarding positions, he will allow the team to have the three heights in midfield better defined, and it will be him who occupies the one closest to the defense, which will free Pedri from having to cover in transition. The Canary Islander will also have an ideal partner to manage spaces and deliveries with the Cartesian spirit of the times of Busquets, Xavi, and Iniesta. Rodri will offer the ideal passing route to progress and at the same time the necessary effort in situations of maximum defensive risk. We are talking about a player who has the Ballon d'Or. No joke, with that.

Joan Garcia has not lost his touch. Despite putting in a dismal performance amidst a very heated atmosphere at the old Mestalla, Valencia, which all signs point to needing a change of manager (they cannot change ownership) so they are not consumed by the flames, was capable of unsettling Barça in a couple of chances that Danjuma was close to converting into a goal. If the former Girona player was not successful, it was because Joan Garcia has also started the campaign with his form trending upwards. The goalkeeper from Sallent went to the World Cup just in case –Unai Simón played every minute for Spain–, but the inactivity has not affected him in the slightest. He manages the inherent risk of Barça with a naturalness that is gold in one-on-one situations and on long balls into space with the defense exposed.