The anger at Mestalla was directed at the ownership, passed through the bench, and ended with the players. But it wasn’t all whistles. Valencia fans applauded the World champions. “Thank you for the applause at Mestalla. In an away stadium, it is very nice. I wish them luck for the rest of the season,” highlighted Pedri. Ovation alongside Cubarsí, Eric García, Rodri, Olmo, and Fermín López.
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Fermín missed the World Cup despite Luis de la Fuente having him on the list due to a fracture in the fifth metatarsal of the right foot in the final stretch of last season. “It was the worst summer of my life,” he confessed during preseason. From the worst to the best: at the start of this season, Fermín López has won the battle against Olmo in Barcelona’s attacking midfield. His numbers back him up: four matches (three as a starter), four goals, and two assists. He has nine shots (eight on target) and 14 duels won. At Mestalla, he ran 40 meters into space to find the ball in the play that ended with his assist to Raphinha.
“Fermín has a lot of energy and intensity, with and without the ball. Sometimes I wish he controlled the ball more, but he is young,” noted Hansi Flick. He also looked at Dani Olmo: “We have many players who can start. I have to manage the situations and try to keep everyone happy. I am happy with Olmo and feel that he wants more. We always try to make the best decisions for the team.”
Sometimes the German coach is cautious when talking about players, especially the younger ones. The same happens with Lamine Yamal, for example. Flick behaved differently with the veteran Rodri, who started for the first time this season on Sunday. “We are happy with Rodri, everything he does on the field makes sense. Bernal is also doing well and will improve if he takes advantage of what he is experiencing. Rodri is good on the field and also in the locker room,” emphasized the Barcelona coach.
Pedri also spoke about Rodri. Out of sync with the Spain jersey, the Canarian and the Madrilenian seek to harmonize in Barcelona’s solfège. “They say Rodri and I don’t work well together, but it’s very comfortable to play with him. He rarely loses the ball and helps a lot in defense. We will understand each other well and with matches, even better.”
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Rodri delivered a typical Rodri performance against Valencia: 81 of 83 passes completed, 54 of 55 in the opponent’s half, and not a single dribble lost. Added to that are six recoveries. An absolute control of the midfield to which he added a detail in Valencia’s area: the crossbar denied him after a header. Gabriel Jesus also had his chance – his shot went wide – making his debut with the Barcelona jersey at Mestalla. “I still need more minutes to be physically fit. We have high-level players and we play very well,” said the Brazilian forward.
“What I can see in the players is that they are hungry to achieve more,” Flick intervened. “We have to know that it is a tough path to achieve all the goals we want, but we play for the fantastic fans we have.” In the first four rounds, Barcelona has scored 17 goals and conceded two.
And that even though Lewandowski and Ferran Torres are no longer in the squad. “People always want to have a player who scores 40 goals… but I think goals will not be lacking this year. We create many chances, we have many players who can score many goals. We controlled the match at all times,” Pedri stated. And, along the same lines, Gerard Martín concluded: “We are having very good competitiveness and we are always hungry for more goals. We are feeling good and keeping a clean sheet is a sign that we do not relax.”
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