The goalkeeper of the future prevents Barça from falling into a field of the past.

BarcelonaA league isn't won with talent alone. To end up having a great party, more is needed. And Hansi Flick knows this well, as he's been saying in recent days. In a frustrating match, Barça suffered its first setback of the season, a deserved draw, as Rayo Vallecano played a majestic game. In fact, if anyone deserved to win, it was the home team. Rayo Vallecano has a clear game plan and knew how to unnerve an opponent who never adapted to a match scenario unfit for a professional match. "We lacked intensity," said Lamine. And it was one of the reasons for the draw.

The stadium, another reason. In Vallecas, they're right to boast about being from a neighborhood. Just as they're right to protest the management of their president, the controversial Martín Presa, who has left a stadium that doesn't look like a First Division stadium. But defending your identity is one thing, and stepping onto your home field feels like a trip back in time to the 1970s. A place with a battered turf and where the VAR connection didn't even work. In a league that wants to play in the United States, they should first make sure the cables work in a Madrid neighborhood.

The match, even and beautiful, was decided in part because there was no connection to the VOR room, and therefore, every play couldn't be analyzed. And Barça's goal in the first half was a controversial penalty, in a move in which Lamine Yamal clearly took a knock, but after arriving late to the ball. One of those moves that, if called against Barça, Barcelona fans would be outraged. The action was dubious. But since it couldn't be reviewed, Lamine Yamal took it upon himself to take the penalty and convert it. This season marks a step forward for the Mataró player, as seen in details like him asking to take penalties. Or him wearing the number 10 on his shirt. Or him celebrating goals by wearing a fake crown, or a magician's hat. Or who knows what he does when he celebrates goals. Let him do whatever he wants.

Everyone knew that playing at Rayo Vallecas would be difficult, not just because of the state of the pitch. While the Vallecas stadium is falling apart, the team coached by Iñigo Pérez is a marvel. With limited financial resources, they're a team that always seeks to win, running up and down the pitch, with a ton of players committed to a goal. If you want to win at Rayo Vallecano, you have to put your foot down and work hard, because if it's about intensity, you won't be able to outrun them. Flick knew this and shook up the team, tweaking things, looking for solutions, as he still has a problem. Despite having won the first few La Liga matches, the German coach sees things he doesn't quite like. A perfectionist and competitive, he doesn't want to see any sign of slacking off.

A new defense

In defense, to protect the ball's movement against an opponent that bites at the front, Araujo and Pau Cubarsí were left on the bench and played with a new center-back pairing, Christensen and Eric Garcia. Both were very effective in the first half, but had enough to do against a Rayo Vallecano side that could have scored first but came up against an imperial and courageous Joan García in goal. The Catalan goalkeeper made a life-saving save in the first half, just before the play that ignited the home crowd with the penalty on Lamine Yamal. On a neighborhood pitch, Lamine Yamal reminded everyone that he always plays the way he did at Rocafonda. He plays the same at San Siro or Vallecas. The Barça number 10 didn't hide and played much better than Dani Olmo, who was finally starting, but lacked accuracy or precision, as when he missed the 0-2 lead on a very clear play. Chances that are remembered.

At Barça, Kounde wasn't having a good day. His performance was horrible. And De Jong did what he could, seeing how, as time went on, Rayo Vallecano was the one who imposed their rhythm. In the second half, Fran Pérez scored the equalizer for the Madrid side. It wasn't a surprise, then. Barça had been shrinking and losing presence in attack, even though Rashford and Fermín were on the pitch. Fermín, the star of that transfer window, also couldn't do much for a team that was suffocating in defensive transition. And even luck went to Joan Garcia, who prevented the home side's second goal with a few saves that proved Deco right, who wanted to sign him. Sallent's goalkeeping saves prevented further damage. On a pitch from the past, Barça conceded a result that makes him doubt its future. Flick already saw that to continue to impress, it was necessary to raise the level of play. There's work to be done.