Barcelona needed both the victory and the changes. New alignment, new life. Night and day. It was a matter of sensations and image, because both go hand in hand in a world where everything is appearance rather than facts. Xavi's revolution had the desired effect. The cheerful and at times funny team that played against Villarreal had little to do with the gray team that wandered for more than 70 minutes at the Bernabeu. From being made of porcelain it became devastating. In eight minutes, Barça shook off all depression with a tremendous and resolute game of football, with a Lewandowski determined to be the man who lifts the project with his goals.
Only four days had passed but half the lineup was different. Busquets, Raphinha and Dembélé fell from the team, in addition to Balde and Eric Garcia. Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres entered and Gavi's entry gave the stripes of the organization to Frenkie de Jong. Suddenly, everything was degreased, aired.
Barça is looking for the right context and took the first step to find it. Xavi, as a coach, has needed raw and hard evidence (Inter and Real Madrid) to be charged with reasons. He happened to him with Piqué and now with Busquets and the runaway and uncontrolled wingers. Only time will tell if the transfer of powers was due to rest, rotations, punishments or Solomonic decisions that will continue.
It was Einstein who said that it was silly to try the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Xavi changed actors and Barcelona seemed different. It was another. The team stiffens when they feel the pressure and responsibility of sustaining the club and breaks free when they understand that they can be themselves. Obsessed as he is to build the house from the roof, he is comfortable laying the foundation. It all starts with playing well. That is the ABC that must lead to fruit. Here the order of the factors does alter the product.
Football is a bag of surprises. If he has something, and it is what hooks him about this sport, it is his ability to change from one week to another. Barça enjoys Laporta and Xavi, the levers and the signings, abundant credit among its fans. The technician said that people had not stopped sending him encouragement. The team received unconditional support from the first moment, another proof that the crowd liked the measures taken by the bench. On the other hand, in the second half, there was much more division of opinions with the entrances of Busquets and Piqué, required to rest De Jong and Koundé, respectively.
Villarreal was a poisoned visitor, as is intuited from the team with the least goals scored in the First Division. But Barcelona did not get nervous or rushed. There was a slogan to play well and it was verified coming from behind a high pressure from Emery's men. The Blaugrana attacked and re-attacked, always with Ansu Fati as a stiletto. It was noted to the 10 that he wanted to show that the explosion at the Bernabeu was not a coincidence nor was it a flash in the pan. The forward from the quarry finished each play with a lot of verticality. While in defense Koundé and De Jong swept away any hint of counterattack from Villarreal, dominated and withdrawn.
Fati tried it with his right, with his head, from outside and from close range. But despite the patience of Barça, the result was not resolved until Pedri opened the channel to the groguets with a deep pass for Jordi Alba, who, missing the times of his connection with Messi, crossed wherever the Argentine entered. Not him, but Lewandowski, who invented a dancer's dribble with his heel that made Pau Torres and Albiol, his two markers, fall simultaneously. The Pole turned on his axis and finished almost at an empty goal because Rulli had also stung in his feint.
The great goal raised the Camp Nou as Ronaldinho did in his day. There is a desire for everything to go well. So that the party was not in danger as against Celta or Mallorca, the Pole was in charge of putting the duel on track. Pedri recovered the ball, Gavi did not stop even with Parejo's grab and passed possession to Lewandowski on the left wing. On the 9th he placed the ball, looked at Rulli and sent the shot to the post farthest from Rulli, with an amazing ease, typical of a born scorer, warning, as he said in Paris, that he does not intend to give anything to Haaland or Mbappé, the gunners who come stomping. Lewandowski's hammer is relentless. With his brace, he already has 16 goals for Barcelona.
The third goal is proof that there are days when everything goes to the side. They connected the three forwards. The ball went to the right to Ferran, who in a semi-miss left his pair and left the half-done goal to Ansu Fati. It seemed impossible to fail but the striker made a mess and the ball went to the post. When everything seemed to have gone wrong, Fati picked up the ball and put it into the net with his heel.
It was eight minutes that liquidated a Villarreal, a little tired of playing on Monday, undoubtedly affected by the loss of Llaneza, one of his sporting fathers, but who was stunned throughout the second half by Barça's reaction, as academic as it was powerful .
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto (Bellerin 70), Kound (Pique 78), Marcos Alonso, Jordi Alba; Gavi, Frenkie de Jong (70 saves), Pedri; Ferran, Lewandowski (Dembele 75) and Ansu Fati (Raphinha 75).
Villarreal: Rulli; Kiko Femenía, Albiol (Mandi 80), Pau, Pedraza (Mojica 24); Yeremy Pino, Morlanes (Trigueros 58), Parejo, Álex Baena; Jackson (Alberto Moreno 58) and Danjuma (Morales 46).
Goals: 1-0, min. 31: Lewandowski. 2-0, min. 35: Lewandowski. 3-0, min. 38: Ansu.
Referee: Del Cerro Grande (Madrid Committee). He showed Pau Torres a yellow card.
Incidents: 73,261 spectators attended the match in the match of the tenth day played at the Spotify Camp Nou. Before the start of the game, a minute of silence was observed in memory of José Manuel Llaneza, vice president of Villarreal, who died this Thursday. The soccer player Alexia Putellas offered the second 'Golden Ball' won last Monday in Paris to the fans, Gavi and Lewandowski also offered their Kopa and Muller awards, respectively, to the Camp Nou.
