Levante didn’t offer much resistance, but this was the first game in which Luis Enrique’s new system allowed Barça to destroy their opponents.
The scoreline says it all: this was a stroll in the park for FC Barcelona, one of the easiest matches they will play all season and one in which they displayed the gung-ho spirit that was conspicuously absent in the midweek Champions League game versus APOEL.
Luis Enrique’s men continued with the now familiar 4-3-1-2 system, starting with a narrow front three, a flexible and controlling midfield trio and attacking wing-backs.
Neymar and Pedro played as an orthodox front two with Lionel Messi in devastating form in a free role just behind. Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitić and Andrés Iniesta resumed their places in midfield after being rested, with Busquets playing his usual anchoring role while Rakitić and Iniesta acted as mediating presences, keeping passing moves ticking over while supporting Dani Alves and Jordi Alba as the hyperactive wing-backs provided width and bombed forward.
While they had eleven men, José Luis Mendilibar’s Levante sat deep in a 4-3-3 which at times became a 4-4-2 or, occasionally and rather oddly, a 4-2-4. Their midfield three tried to close off the central zones to prevent forward passes into Barça’s forwards, but this meant that Dani Alves and Jordi Alba were almost always in acres of space and they were heavily involved in Barça’s attacking play throughout the game.
In contrast to the game against APOEL, Luis Enrique’s team made a very fast start, immediately looking to move the ball forward, seizing on Levante’s passes out of defence and applying intense pressure in midfield. This approach was maintained throughout and it was no surprise that four of the five goals came as a result of fast breaks at transitions.
Barça’s superiority was immediately clear and it only became greater as the match progressed. Despite seeming to have a good defensive shape, Levante were actually very open and Barça continually found it very easy to move the ball into dangerous areas.
Whether they sent the ball out to one of the wing-backs, who dragged Levante’s three-man midfield across and then played it back inside, or worked it into the central areas Levante were trying to shut off, simple killer balls – like the one that Messi played for Neymar’s opener, or the one that Iniesta played for Messi to win the penalty – frequently seemed to be on.
By sticking to such a rigid, zonal system and not reacting to the fluidity of Barça’s, Levante always seemed to have two players where they needed one and one player where they needed two, and no-one was pressuring the man in possession. This meant that Barça always had a multitude of options in possession and the combinations that the home side were trying to prevent were actually easily achievable.
The first goal was a case in point. Rakitić won the ball on the halfway line following a Levante goal kick and passed it square to Busquets, who was facing his own goal. Instead of pressing him and making him pass backwards, the four Levante players within ten yards of him allowed him to turn.
Busquets took his time, weighing up his options, before passing forward to Messi, who had found space to the right of Levante’s midfield. Messi played a typical chip over the top for Neymar, who had darted away from his marker, and the Brazilian rounded goalkeeper Jesús Fernández and rolled the ball into an empty net.
Busquets to Messi to Neymar: goal. This would have been exactly the sort of combination Barça would have wanted to score with and exactly the sort of quick, vertical move Levante would have wanted to prevent, but Mendilibar’s players’ instructions meant they were powerless to stop it.
The (extremely unjust) red card for Loukas Vyntra more or less killed the game with fifty minutes left on the clock and it was no surprise that Barça turned on the style when Rakitić crashed home the second and put the result absolutely beyond doubt.
After half-time, the match descended into exhibition territory as Barça used their man advantage superbly and ruthlessly. They moved the ball quickly and accurately and the attackers made excellent runs and hurried Levante’s defenders into rushing their passes into midfield. As in the first half, Levante were very easy to play against, rarely getting tight and frequently allowing Barça to take the ball in good positions and find options between the lines.
The third goal, scored by substitute striker Sandro Ramírez, followed a period of exerted and organised pressing that allowed Busquets to intercept a rushed pass from Víctor Camarasa and then free Messi, who provided his second assist of the night. That goal joined Sandro’s against Villarreal and Neymar’s double against Athletic Club as Barça goals that have come as a direct result of pressing high up the pitch this season.
The rest of the match was elementary and although Barça barely broke a sweat in extending their lead to 5-0, there are undoubtedly several positives to be taken from the game.
Firstly, that although Barça appear somewhat reliant on Messi to create scoring chances, they are no longer so dependent on him to convert them. Now that Rakitić and Pedro have scored, Barça have had seven different goalscorers in their first five games, with Messi only scoring three of twelve.
Secondly, that Luis Enrique is using the squad’s depth correctly and rotating well. Replacing Busquets with Xavi with half an hour to go may have raised some eyebrows but it was the right thing to do. Busquets was on a booking and Levante were sitting back and not even challenging for the ball, so using Rakitić as a passing playmaker and giving Xavi some minutes was a good idea, especially with the away game versus Málaga coming so soon after this match. It was also good to see Sandro come on and score again, while Sergi Roberto played sensibly during his twenty minutes at the end.
Thirdly, Barça still haven’t conceded this season, which is quite remarkable given how open they looked last season. There were a couple of occasions in the first half where they appeared vulnerable, most notably when Mathieu missed his tackle on Morales on the halfway line and the Levante forward sprinted through on goal, only to be denied an assist by a heroic Rakitić intervention, but generally speaking this was another game in which Barça appeared secure and switched on at the back, both in open play and at dead balls.
Neymar’s injury aside, this was a perfect day at the office for Barça and for Luis Enrique in particular. Perhaps the biggest positive of all was that we can reasonably expect to see more performances this good later in the season.
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