Barça discovers the best version of Rashford to continue dominating La Liga

BarcelonaLooking at the scoreboard and seeing that Barça has beaten Mallorca 3-0 might suggest an easy match. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Blaugrana had to dig deep and shift their mindset to secure the three points and maintain their firm grip on first place in La Liga. Mallorca put the pressure on a struggling Barça side, who, thanks to Rashford, finally found the right path out of the labyrinth. Goals from Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Marc Bernal confirmed this.

This is because, after a January packed with matches, Barça is starting to feel the physical and mental strain. The two Wednesdays of rest they've earned by qualifying for the Champions League quarterfinals will be a godsend for Flick's men. But there's still a ways to go before then. In the meantime, they must continue to fight hard against tough opponents like Mallorca. Especially when they're extra motivated, as was the case, with two former Barça players eager to prove themselves. Pablo Torre and Jan Virgili, key players in Jagoba Arrasate's starting eleven, gave Mallorca an extra boost of energy, preventing Barça from playing their usual game for much of the match. Of the two, Virgili stood out, the fastest Mallorca player and a constant threat down the left flank. Taking advantage of moments when Koundé seemed to be taking a nap, the winger was involved in the visitors' three most dangerous attacks in the first half, with two shots and a cross that Muriqi narrowly failed to convert. Barça, without the injured Pedri and with De Jong on the bench, entrusted the midfield to Casadó. The homegrown player was attentive to defensive cover, but didn't shine as much in attack. The standard Barça plan was to find Lamine Yamal on the right wing and let the Rocafonda native work his magic. Of course, Arrasate had studied this well and organized a defensive setup so that the team, as a unit, prevented Lamine from doing his thing. And so it was: in a quiet first half, he received very few passes and often had to drop deep to get involved in the play.

A decisive shot that changed the course of the match

But it seems the visiting manager hadn't counted on Marcus Rashford, starting in place of the absent Raphinha, who is out with a muscle injury. Flick and Barça needed almost half an hour to figure out what the game needed. With Lamine neutralized and Lewandowski virtually invisible because the number of players in the box prevented him from receiving through balls, the Englishman shook things up with a shot from the edge of the area that went just wide of the post. It was the right approach. Rashford, often distracted and disconnected in many matches, this time continued to press and happily took on the responsibility of leading the Barça attack. And that's how the goal came, again with a shot from the edge of the box: David López initially headed it away, but the ball fell to Lewandowski who, in a moment of brilliance, beat the goalkeeper and opened the scoring. Before halftime, Rashford nearly scored with a free kick that Leo Román tipped over the bar for a corner, and Lamine Yamal inexplicably missed a point-blank shot.

The second half belonged entirely to Barça, who capitalized on the uncertainty of a Mallorca side that no longer knew how to defend. Covering Lamine's flank left space for Rashford. Marking Rashford opened the door for Lamine. The defensive setup proved insufficient, and Barça took full advantage, laying siege to the visitors' goal with shots of all kinds. Even an acrobatic effort from Casadó crashed against the crossbar. After a penalty on Lamine Yamal that the referee inexplicably failed to award, and a warning to the Barça coach for his protests, the second goal arrived with a long-range strike from Lamine. The 2-0 goal came precisely when Arrasate had three substitutions ready to patch up the team. He was too late. In fact, it was Flick who started the rotations with Thursday's Copa del Rey match at the Metropolitano in mind. Ferran, who came off the bench, played a few minutes on the left side of the attack, replacing Rashford, who left to a standing ovation. Cancelo then took over the position, freed from defensive duties. Barça only had one dark moment in the second half, when Fermín made a mistake, gifting the ball to Antonio Sánchez. Joan Garcia, once again the savior, prevented the visitors from reducing the deficit. It was his last chance, because in the ensuing play, with Mallorca pushing up their defensive line, Marc Bernal, who had come on in the second half, received a through ball and, after a sprint and a sharp cut inside, sealed the victory. It was the first goal for the player from Berguedà with Barça's first team. The icing on the cake of an afternoon full of smiles.