Barcelona 3-0 Villarreal: Match Review

Barcelona hosted Villarreal midweek in their first game after the El Clasico loss. It was a key game from the point of view of the team’s mentality as they looked to avoid a third consecutive defeat.

The manager shuffled his team on the night with changes coming in all departments. Marcos Alonso joined Jules Kounde in defence while Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto covered as left and right-back, respectively. Sergio Busquets was benched on the night for Frenkie de Jong, who started alongside Pedri and Gavi.

Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres rounded up the XI, with Robert Lewandowski deployed as the centre-forward in Camp Nou.

The hosts saw the lion’s share of possession from the get-go and were inspired in the final third. The Yellow Submarines were happy to sit back and defend Barcelona’s advances, but their strategy did not take long to collapse.

After 30 long minutes of rued chances, Lewandowski found the back of the net in a goal worth watching on repeat. Receiving the ball from Alba, the Pole faked and pulled the ball back to eliminate three Villarreal defenders in one shot. Then, he looked up, saw space and placed it neatly into the goal.

It took just four minutes for Lewy to convert his single into a double. Pedri began the move by winning the ball back and instantly found Gavi in an advanced position. The Koppa Trophy winner sent the ball across to Lewandowski, who shot from outside the area past Rulli.

The hosts made it three goals in seven minutes through Ansu Fati as they moved from paradise to dreamland. Ferran dribbled past three defenders in the box and found Fati in front of the goal. The youngster missed his first chance but was there to force in the rebound.

Xavi’s men started the second half strongly, creating two clear-cut chances in the first seven minutes. As the half progressed, their dominance saw a marginal reduction and Villarreal began to get inroads into the game.

Sergi Roberto and Frenkie de Jong came off for Hector Bellerin and Sergio Busquets at the 70-minute mark. Five minutes later, Gerard Pique came on for Jules Kounde.

The three points take Barcelone to 25 points, three behind leaders Real Madrid. Xavi’s men will next be in action on Sunday when they take on Athletic Club at home.