A magic Barça rewrites history from thrashing to thrashing

BarcelonaSometimes it is hard to tell where football ends and art begins with this Barça. A team full of artists that turns a game with a ball into a spectacle that catches the eye, stringing together routs as if it were easy to score five goals (2-5). And all this, with a Lamine Yamal who is up to his usual tricks. A teenager who is rewriting the history books of football. In a stadium that is always imposing, Hansi Flick's team did not fail either, even though they suffered at times. The setting was complex and became complicated with dirty moments, scuffles, and the injuries to Eric Garcia and Gerard Martín, the worrying note of the day. But this team, which has signed off on the best start to the League in its entire history, has magic to spare. The Blaugrana music prevailed over the noise. To overcome challenges like the one at La Cartuja, you need joy and you need to know how to suffer.

Lamine Yamal has taken all the spotlight. A player who defies our imagination, as it is hard to imagine how far he can go if he continues playing like this. More and more people are losing their fear of associating his name with that of geniuses like Kubala, Cruyff, Maradona, or Messi. More and more fans believe that it is necessary to cover the genius from Rocafonda in gold. To start deciding the match, he invented one of those goals that are not forgotten. A goal that you remember a few days later and smile to yourself on the street. A goal that millions of people had already seen on social media when the first half had not yet finished. A run, a dribbleand, then, magic. Now he steps on the ball, now he escapes with a touch of the heel. And, finally, a shot into the top corner. A goal that only the chosen ones can score.

The famous October that was meant to measure the strength of Hansi Flick's third project is moving forward. And, along its path, Barça continues to leave victims in its wake. Neither the good Betis play of the last few weeks, nor having brilliant footballers like Abde or Lo Celso in front, nor thousands of fans cheering on their own, nor a bit of dirty play... Nothing served to stop a Barça that can make rotations without the project trembling. Just before the big week, the one of the trip to Paris and the Clásico with Madrid, the performance at the Estadio de la Cartuja was very serious. At times there was suffering, with a playful Abde and a Joan Garcia making some good saves. But if matches are an exchange of blows, Barça will always win. It has an ace up its sleeve, Lamine Yamal.

Against Betis, Adeyemi returned to the starting lineup alongside Fermín, Lamine Yamal, and Gabriel Jesus. The German bit in attack, but Flick asked him for more work in defense. And he was sent to the bench. And behind him, two players who understand football better than anyone, Pedri and Rodri. The Madrid native, all elegance, continues to gain weight in the team's dynamics and is already scoring goals. And he scores them when it matters most, when there was the most suffering. Lamine Yamal is so spectacular that sometimes it is hard to think about the others, like Rodri. Or like Xavi Espart, who also helps a lot with his movements. The Maresme native is living a great start to the season.

Betis, coming off a Champions League smile after defeating Porto, started out locked in defense, but even that didn't prevent Lamine's goal. A talented team, they equalized shortly after in a match where Joan Garcia understood right away that he would have work to do. After 20 minutes of total Catalan dominance, the match turned into an exchange of blows with Rodri rising up to make it 1-2. Lo Celso equalized before halftime, but the play had started with a handball that was detected by VAR. The Betis fans went crazy, but the handball was clear.

The match was heating up and the second half ended in total chaos. Gabriel Jesus had scored the third goal, but shortly after, Betis narrowed the gap thanks to Abde. And in the middle of the goal celebration, Barça claimed a possible foul. Lamine Yamal ended up being assaulted by Bernal, who saw red, while Flick asked the Maresme native for calm, just in case he missed the 'Clásico'. And they really tried to provoke him, but Lamine Yamal knew how to control himself. The coach, just in case, substituted him and gave minutes to Raphinha. And Barça's goals, with a numerical advantage, kept falling as the rain began to fall. Eric Garcia scored the fourth and Dani Olmo, who was needed, the fifth. The trap match ended with another exhibition. Music prevailed over noise in another rout by a Barça team that, for the first time in its entire history, has won its first nine matches. It’s hard to believe, just before the big week. Now it's time for Paris. And then, Mourinho's disciples.