Pedri's magic drives away the ghosts that frightened Flick.

BarcelonaBarça may have some flaws, but they're brimming with character. A team that knows how to win matches by playing violins with angelic music, but also when things aren't quite going their way, it's time to grit their teeth. All the alarm bells went off at the Ciutat de València, just as Hansi Flick had already warned. But the champions never want to lose. And in five magical minutes of the second half, their redemption began. The players, led by the magic of Pedri, avoided a slip-up that would have hurt at Levante (2-3).

Hansi Flick had already sent out a warning in recent days. Some things didn't please the German coach, who didn't want to see anyone slacking off. He's an old fart, Flick. He warned that this wouldn't be a walk in the park even before a very poor first half against Levante. The Valencian team had a plan and executed it perfectly: defend with passion and come out on the attack whenever they could. And so they unnerved a Barça team that, for the first time in months, looked like a normal team, lacking magic. Flick had tweaked things before a match in which De Jong had to be rested after a special week in which he became a father for the second time, and in which he had slept little. The German coach took advantage of the Dutchman's absence to look after Marc Casadó, starting him in a match where his drive was needed to stop the Valencians' counterattacks. It was a Barça that was generally very attacking, without Fermín or Dani Olmo. Flick started with an impressive star striker, with Raphinha, Ferran, Marcus Rashford, and Lamine Yamal. A back four that, during the first minutes, seemed to be causing a struggle for a Levante side that played with fire, too closed. Rashford started brightly, with two brilliant plays opening up the left flank, while Lamine Yamal wasn't having a good day, well defended by Manu Sánchez.

Barça's dominance seemed total, with long possessions and little space to attack. But in almost the first attacking action Levante took advantage of a ball lost by Lamine Yamal, Julián Calero's team found the Barça defense half-naked. Cubarsí did arrive in time to try to stop Romero, but he broke his waist before beating a distraught Joan Garcia.

Old ghosts from the past were awakened, from matches where nothing seemed to go right at the Ciudad de Valencia, one of those stadiums where they have specialized in proving that giants are also mortal. Once Pedri was more involved, it seemed Barça would come out on top. The Canary Islander saw holes where others see closed doors, and created a prodigious assist for Ferran. But he would send the ball off the crossbar. Immediately after, Levante would score their second after a very strict penalty for a handball by Balde. After consulting the VAR, Hernández Hernández decided to punish Barça severely, as Balde was hiding his hands. A move that normally goes unpunished ended with Morales scoring on this occasion. Details that can change the script of a match.

The referee hadn't helped, but Barça weren't having a good day. Everyone knew Flick would make changes at halftime. No sooner said than done. He sacrificed Rashford and Casado, and brought on Gavi and Dani Olmo. There was more control, more rhythm in the movement. And a genius was needed as a leader, in this case Pedri, who invented a key goal with a beautiful long-range shot. The Canary Islander sent the ball flying where the goalkeepers couldn't reach, instilling fear in Levante and igniting the Barça heart. Within five minutes, Barça had equalized thanks to a fine goal from Ferran, in a game in which the players followed their leader, Pedri. If on other days it's Lamine who shines, in Valencia the key player was Pedri. He showed the way, blending talent and rage with the shot that led to his first goal. Whenever he touched the ball, Barça played with purpose. He understood what to do and didn't hide, even though Levante held firm, proud, proving themselves to be a hell of a team.

Flick then called up the great goalscorer: Lewandowski. The Pole, injured until now, made his season debut with the mission of scoring the winning goal, watching out of the corner of his eye as the clock seemed to be ticking too fast. Or too slow, for the frog fans. The game was now going in only one direction. It seemed like a matter of time before the Catalans' winning goal came thanks to the talent of Lamine, who grew, exploiting space and planting a cross that would end cruelly for the home side, with an own goal. However, Flick didn't seem happy. There's still work to be done, but games like this can help get his message across.