Barça knows the secret to turning football into an art

BarcelonaBarça spreads joy. Once the ball is rolling, things are seen from a different perspective. Hansi Flick's team plays from memory and revolves everything around Pedri, a small midfielder who has become the center of gravity of a special team. But the goals were scored by an electric Ferran Torres. Against Getafe, the job was already done at halftime. And to think that more than a few were biting their nails thinking they'd have to play games without Lamine Yamal, the genius who this Monday is aiming to win the Ballon d'Or at just 18 years old. And you'd have to live without him playing at home in a small stadium like Johan Cruyff. But that team doesn't waste time complaining. It creates its narrative through football. And how this Barça plays.

If Valencia was swept off the pitch at the Johan Cruyff Stadium after an explosive second half, Getafe had already lost their temper in the first half, becoming a plaything in Barça's hands. Instead of feeling uncomfortable playing in a stadium where just over 5,000 lucky fans can witness the spectacle up close, Barça seems to have caught the joyful spirit of grassroots football. From the Joan Gamper Sports Complex. From the Johan Cruyff Stadium. The names of the past that explain the present. The players are enjoying themselves, just as they did when they were teenagers with a lot of dreams. At times, the game was surprisingly easy, as Getafe is usually more uncomfortable than a stone in your shoe. But Bordalás' fearsome team crumbled in the middle, unable to stop the collective play of a Barça that was making rotations, thinking about an increasing schedule, as they have to play two games a week. Flick had rested Araujo and Cubarsí, and opted for a central defense featuring Christensen and Eric Garcia. Neither had much to do when it came to defending. But they did understand the game with their heads held high, looking forward. They moved the ball accurately. The Barça dance began with them. Then, Pedri took charge of providing the violin music.

In attack, Flick wanted to weigh in on the debate about whether Lewandowski or Ferran should play. How did he do it? By playing them together, alongside Raphinha and a Dani Olmo who needs to step up. And he did, with a beautiful backheel assist to the star of the match, Ferran Torres. The shark scored two before the break, the first after a great Barça move and the second after a serious error from the visitors. And Torres could have scored a third. Getafe was suffering so much that he had no choice but to do what he's so good at: becoming the bad guy, committing a ton of fouls. Pushing, arguing, complaining. Bordalás has turned the team from the south of Madrid into the bad boys La Liga. Raphinha fell into their trap, confronting opponents while already on a yellow card. Flick, then, substituted him at halftime just in case, bringing on Newcastle's great hero, Marcus Rashford, who invented a great move to gift Dani Olmo the 3-0 lead. The Terrassa player needed a game like this, with an assist and a goal.

Fermín's injury

Getafe wanted to stem the onslaught of Barça play, but couldn't. Barça knows how to build, and Getafe looked like a company of building debris. Two opposing playing philosophies faced off. On a pitch that had perfectly withstood the heavy downpour before the match, Barça was far superior. It was all good news for Flick, like Gerard Martín's fine performance or seeing Olmo smiling when he sealed the 3-0 in the 62nd minute. The slap on the wrist from Rayo Vallecano, when he warned that they must put their egos aside and play as a team, worked. Barça knows the secret to turning football into an art. The recipe is work, solidarity, hard training, quality, and a little ego. Just a little doesn't hurt, too much is a problem. It was a perfect matchday with only one blemish: Fermín's injury in almost the last play of the game. We'll have to see what happens to the Andalusian.

Without Lamine, his teammates have taken a step forward with goals from Fermín, Lewandowski, Raphinha, Rashford, and Ferran in the last three matches. It's still strange that fewer than 6,000 people were able to see a team that millions of people love in action. Barça's way of life: on the pitch, they're captivating, and in the offices, they're fighting to return home as soon as possible, to the promised land of Camp Nou. This team deserves it. More people should be able to enjoy this Barça ballet.