The madness and magic of Flick's Barça are back

They've brought back the thrashings. The madness is back. The magic is back. They've brought back the comebacks of Hansi Flick's Barça. With rotations and positional changes, without Raphinha (but with Pedri) and with an unexpected protagonist like Roony, the Blaugrana emerged strengthened from their visit to La Cartuja (3-5). Antony opened the scoring after five minutes, but Barça responded like a steamroller with goals from a Ferran in inspired form who ended up scoring a hat trickFrom a Roony who joins the cause and from Lamine Yamal, after a penalty that should never have been awarded.

After the effort required for Atlético de Madrid's visit to the Camp Nou and with Tuesday's match against Eintracht Frankfurt, with Barça needing points in the Champions League, the trip to Seville was a tough test. But Flick didn't hesitate and made rotations. Especially in attack. With Raphinha suffering from muscle fatigue, Roony started. The Swede's inclusion meant taking Lamine Yamal out of his natural position and placing him as an attacking midfielder. Ferran played as new And, on the left, Rashford returned to the starting eleven.

Many changes for the visit to a Betis side that started off making life difficult for Barça. With former Barça player Abde and Brazilian Antony, the Andalusians have two dangerous weapons on the wings. Add to that a Koundé who started sluggishly and very distracted, and the equation didn't favor Barça's interests. In the first duel between Abde and the Frenchman, the Spanish-Moroccan took advantage of the open defense, taking him on, reaching the byline, and delivering a pass into the heart of the area. The intended target was Cucho, but he misjudged it, and the rebound fell to Fornals, who was initially blocked by Balde, but Antony, alert, collected the loose ball and fired an unstoppable shot past Joan.

Ferran leads a comeback in three minutes

Things looked bleak after this tragicomic start at La Cartuja, but Flick's Barça rediscovered their form, and they did so with a flurry of goals. In just three minutes, the Catalans turned the game around. With a brace between the 11th and 13th minutes, Ferran put his team ahead. Both goals were beautiful. The first came after a one-touch move between Roony, Koundé – who attacked better than he defended – and the Valencian, making a run at the near post. The second saw Roony deliver a superb cross that Ferran finished with a powerful half-volley that went between the goalkeeper's legs.

The Foios native's masterclass, in which he did everything well, was only overshadowed by Roony's first great night in a Barça shirt. In a thrilling match, with a proud Betis side and a Barça team playing at a very high level, Pedri found the Swede's run after a well-executed turn in the attacking third. If you give the Canary Islander half a meter to think, he's lethal. Captain with and without the armband (as against Betis), he delivered a ball to Roony, who converted it into a fantastic goal.

The whole team was in fine form; the characteristic flair with which this team captivated everyone last season had returned. There was still time to score another goal before halftime. Ferran, tireless, connected with a shot from the edge of the box after Bartra, fortunately, inadvertently deflected it. Despite being overwhelmed by an unstoppable Barça, Betis didn't throw in the towel and finished the first half with two almost consecutive chances. But neither Cucho, brave with a diving header, nor Ruibal, with a shot that went wide, found the target.

Lamine Yamal seals the victory with a gifted penalty.

The second half began with Betis throwing everything forward in search of an impossible comeback. A penalty, one of those awarded by referees after VAR review for a completely unintentional handball by Bartra, and converted by Lamine Yamal, made it 5-0. Rashford's shot, which no one will ever know if it was on target, struck the Catalan center-back's torso and then hit his arm. With such a lopsided scoreline, Flick began making changes to the bench. Minutes for Fermín and de Jong, who were returning from injury and a bout of fever, as well as for Marc Bernal and Christensen, who had already come on at the start of the second half. As the minutes ticked by, Barcelona relaxed. An offside call barely denied Pablo García a goal. It was Llorente who finally found the net, five minutes from the end, scoring from a corner.

It wasn't the last goal of the match. Abde, who had started the game by exposing Koundé's weaknesses, outwitted the Frenchman again. A clear penalty was awarded to the Barcelona player, and Cucho converted from the spot to make it 3-5, giving wings to a Betis side that never lost faith. Earlier, Rashford had squandered a clear one-on-one opportunity against Álvaro, sending his shot wide. Barça will remain top of the table for another week.