Flick's 100th Win: Barcelona Crush Alaves to Retake Top

Two straight defeats, four centre-backs sidelined and the loudest stand in the ground closed, and Barcelona still put six past Alaves. A 6–1 rout at Spotify Camp Nou gave Hansi Flick his 100th victory as Barcelona manager and sent his side back to the top of La Liga on 30 points.

The week had been bruising. Back-to-back losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid had raised doubts, and the Spanish press greeted this result with an old saying, “a las penas, goleadas”: sorrows are cured by thrashings. By half-time the cure was already in. Barcelona led 4–0.

Before kick-off, the 53,523 crowd observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the rail accident in Urda (Toledo). The match that followed was played in a noticeably subdued atmosphere. The club had closed the Grada d'Animació after sanctions from the previous match.

Fermín and Raphinha dismantle Alaves before the break

Alaves were behind after eight minutes and never recovered. Pedri started a 15-pass move with an outside-of-the-boot ball down the left. Fermín squared it low across the six-yard box, and Raphinha had the simplest of finishes.

Fermín then scored himself. On 23 minutes Lamine Yamal found him on the left of the area, and from a tight angle he hammered a left-footed shot past Antonio Sivera into the far corner.

The third goal came from his anticipation. Fermín intercepted in midfield on 41 minutes and slipped Raphinha in behind. Raphinha ran through one-on-one and curled a left-footed finish beyond Sivera. Then, on the stroke of half-time, João Cancelo drifted inside and laid the ball off for Yamal. His first-time shot from just outside the arc flew low into the bottom-left corner.

Fermín now has five league goals from 10 appearances. Raphinha's brace took him to 15 league goals in 10 appearances, widening his lead in the Pichichi race. According to reports, it also matched scoring marks set at the club by César Rodríguez and Lionel Messi. He has scored in four of Barcelona's last six league games.

VAR rescues Lamine Yamal's second as Gordon adds a sixth

Lamine Yamal's second goal needed a second look. Just past the hour, substitute Gabriel Jesus slid a pass behind the Alaves line, and Yamal lifted a delicate chip over the onrushing Sivera. The assistant's flag went up for offside. The VAR review then showed that Ville Koski's foot had kept Yamal onside, and the goal was awarded for 5–0.

With the game long settled, the call shaped the scoresheet more than the result. It completed a brace that took Yamal to 10 league goals in 11 appearances. He has now scored in three of Barcelona's last six league games.

Anthony Gordon came off the bench to make it six on 81 minutes. He beat Ander Guevara to Rodri's weighted through ball and clipped a lob over Sivera. That was his second league goal of the campaign.

Rodri's evening then soured. On 84 minutes his mishit backpass toward Gerard Martín fell to Mariano Díaz. Díaz cut inside past the defender and slotted a right-footed shot across Joan García into the corner. The consolation was his fourth league goal of the season.

Flick's patched-up defence passes its first exam

The statistics describe a night of control. Barcelona held 77% of the ball and turned seven shots on target into six goals, an efficiency that left Alaves no way back. The visitors still managed seven attempts from 23% possession, three of them on target.

The defence is the part worth watching. With four centre-backs unavailable, Flick paired midfielder Frenkie de Jong with Pau Cubarsí in central defence. He also handed Brian Fariñas, a 20-year-old academy midfielder, his official first-team debut as an emergency right-back. The one goal this improvised unit conceded came from a misplaced backpass, not a breach of the line.

Pundits lauded the attack built around Fermín, Raphinha and Yamal. Barcelona have now scored in each of their last 11 league games, 46 goals in total. But the same pundits asked whether this back line can cope with stronger opposition.

Referee Adrian Cordero Vega had an uncontentious evening. He booked Pedri and Cancelo for the hosts, and Protesoni, Ángel Pérez and Pablo Ibáñez for the visitors.

Barcelona reclaim summit as Alaves slide deepens

For Alaves, the crisis under Quique Sánchez Flores is growing. They have now gone seven league games without a win and sit 11th on 12 points. That is a long way from May, when they beat Barcelona 1–0 in the sides' most recent meeting.

Sánchez Flores took responsibility. “Nos vamos frustrados, asumo el error de la derrota,” he said, before adding: “Tengo la sensación de que han sido muy superiores en cada acción y no fuimos suficientemente duros ni contundentes para frenarlos.”

Barcelona are back in first place, two points clear of Atlético Madrid, and the win ends a two-match losing run across all competitions. The reprieve will be short, though. Aston Villa and Atlético Madrid come next, with Atlético in a direct meeting next matchday. Both will ask far harder questions of De Jong, Cubarsí and whoever else Flick can find to play at the back.