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Barcelona faced UD Barbastro last night in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey and many expected a very close clash, as the two teams met the last time they met.
However, unlike last season, the match was far from competitive as Barcelona comfortably took the 4-0 victory.
Robert Lewandowski, Pablo Torre and Eric García were on the scoreboard for Barcelona in the must-win match and helped the Catalans advance to the round of 16 of the knockout competition.
Most importantly, however, the result broke Barcelona’s streak of two straight defeats and provides them with much-needed momentum heading into the Spanish Super Cup.
Barça Universal Brings you three talking points from UD Barbastro 0-4 Barcelona.
The ideal beginning
The win against Barbastro last night was the team’s first game of the new year and starting with a win, needless to say, was the dream scenario.
Last night’s result, however, has implications far beyond Barcelona’s mere progression to the next round, as the team was in desperate need of positivity after how their 2024 ended.
Barcelona went through an undeniable crisis in the last months of 2024 and closed it in the worst possible way with consecutive defeats against Leganés and Atlético de Madrid.
His poor performances not only caused his lead in La Liga to slowly fade, but he also gave it away to Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid and everything was going wrong for Hansi Flick.
For his team to return after the Christmas break and put together a dominant 4-0 result against Barbastro as they did last night is therefore a huge positive.
Barcelona had no problems at any point during the night, they had complete control of the game and created chance after chance against the hosts. And while their opponents were actually a struggling fourth division team, every bit of confidence helps.
A night of debuts
Flick’s line-up at the Estadi Municipal Deportes Barbastro featured two new names who have not featured this season: Wojciech Szczesny and Ronald Araujo, who enjoyed good debuts in the season.
The goalkeeper, who signed for Barcelona mid-season as an emergency replacement for Marc-André Ter Stegen, was reliable in his distribution and was eager to prove his worth.
Barbastro’s forwards didn’t test him much and he didn’t have much to prove in stopping shots, but his ball skills were impressive and he was calm in possession.
Araujo, for his part, had a busier night throughout the field. At no point during the match did it appear that the Uruguayan had been off the field for six months.
The match began and completed the 90 minutes without any sign of physical discomfort. His range of passing was impressive, his decision making sharp and his physical presence imposing.
In 90 minutes, the captain did not have much to defend, but he proved to be a great danger on set pieces. In fact, he even collected an assist for Eric García’s first goal.
A third debutant arrived later that night, the academy’s talented Toni Fernandez, and the youngster looked a bright spot in his brief cameo with assured raids and passing range.
Pablo Torre deserves more
While Barcelona had complete control throughout the field, the most impressive player for the maroon and blue team was Pablo Torre.
Starting on the night, the youngster played in the attacking midfield role and shone brightly in Barcelona’s build-up and possession phase.
The young phenom found the right passing outlets, broke down the defense with his creativity and barely made a false step and his numbers show that he made the difference.
Torre racked up assists for both of Robert Lewandowski’s goals against Barbastro and the second assist was particularly impressive when he took a deft touch to set the Polish star free in front of goal.
He then found himself in the right place at the right time to take advantage of a loose pass from the opposing goalkeeper and earn himself a goal as well.
During his 81 minutes on the pitch, Torre racked up a staggering six key passes and completed 100% of his crosses and 83% of his passes.
Now that Dani Olmo’s registration is unclear and Fermín López appears to be out of shape, Torre deserved more prominence in the coming days. It could be decisive in the coming months.
