After a month without a win in La Liga, Barcelona returned to winning ways with an emphatic 5–1 victory against Mallorca.
Hansi Flick's side scored four goals in the second half to go four points clear of Real Madrid atop the standings, although Los Blancos still have two games in hand. There's still plenty of season left to go but this felt like a massively important game and Barcelona responded well, bouncing back from the negative results of the past three games.
Ferran Torres returned to action and scored his first Barcelona goal since August. Frenkie de Jong came off the bench and scored his first goal and tallied his first assist of the season. Youngster, Pau Víctor, put the bow on the performance with his second career goal for the Catalans.
Los Blaugranas can rest easy knowing no matter what happens in Real Madrid's game tomorrow, its lead atop the standings is safe.
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A Tale of Two Halves
The scoreline might fool some, but in the first half, Barcelona looked incredibly nervous, nothing like the early performances of the Flick era. Getting all three points was significantly more important than earning some style points, but during the first 45 minutes, it felt as if players were highly aware of the domestic three game winless streak.
The team looked chaotic at times, especially in the final stretch of the first half when Mallorca equalized. Barcelona didn't look like a solid unit, with its lines playing too far apart from one another, leaving plenty of spaces to be exploited. With the ball, players were erratic and they struggled to maintain long possessions.
The second half was a different story. From the moment Raphinha put Barça in front, the team dominated and Mallorca completely collapsed. Flick's men were incisive, adventurous and deadly. The defense barely had to break a sweat as the team significantly overwhelmed Mallorca. Flick must be encouraged at his team's big response after a shaky first half.
There's still plenty of things to improve on, but Barcelona have broken out of its La Liga slump and can be relieved of that pressure.
Barcelona's High Defensive Line is Slowly Becoming an Issue
Flick was praised during the first two plus months of the season for his team's ability to catch opponents offside thanks to a high defensive line that often stood only a few yards away from the halfway line. In recent weeks, that high line has been taken advantage of.
Mallorca found the equalizer thanks to a quick combination that set Maffeo free as Barcelona was unable to set its offside trap. It's a precarious way to live, if Barça fails to catch the opposition offside, then more often than not players will be through on goal, as was the case in Mallorca's equalizer.
Mallorca slice through Barcelona's high line at midfield to tie the game 😳
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 3, 2024
Hansi Flick's offside trap gets caught out 😮 pic.twitter.com/jIDFFfuzCD
Barcelona's offside trap has lost effectiveness off late. It led to Marc Casadó's red card against Celta Vigo, both goals in the defeat against Las Palmas and the equalizer against Mallorca. It's unlikely Flick will change his defensive system, but Barcelona needs to be much more disciplined in that area or it could continue to cost them dearly, especially against tougher opposition.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha Shine in Robert Lewandowski's Absence
For the first time in La Liga this season, Robert Lewandowski didn't feature in the starting lineup. Without him, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha put on a show in the second half.
Yamal caused a penalty that Raphinha dispatched to go up 2–1. Minutes later, The 17-year-old sent in a delicious trivela pass into the box that Raphinha tapped home, reminiscent of the goal against Villarreal earlier in the season, when the two combined in a similar action. Another Yamal outside the foot pass set up the action for Barcelona's fourth goal of the night.
LAMINE YAMAL TRIVELA ASSIST TO RAPHINHA!!! 🤯
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 3, 2024
AN UNBELIEVABLE BALL FROM THE YOUNGSTER ✨ pic.twitter.com/p9U1n5BiiF
In his first start since Nov. 6, Yamal reminded us of his otherworldly quality and guided Barcelona's dominant second half. Raphinha continued his tremendous season and now has 11 goals and six assists in 16 La Liga matches.
Without its prolific goalscorer, Yamal and Raphinha stepped up and showcased why they're one of, if not the best winger partnership in Europe this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lamine Yamal Dazzles for Barcelona in Return: Takeaways From 5-1 Win vs. Mallorca.
