Barcelona put on one of their best performances of the season as they thumped Getafe 4-0 on Saturday.
Raphinha netted the only goal in a dominant first-half performance from Barcelona, who embraced a more direct approach to punish Getafe’s high line, before Joao Felix, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez got in on the fun after the break.
Robert Lewandowski also had a goal ruled out for offside in a game in which Barcelona could have comfortably had seven or eight goals.
How the game unfolded
De Jong was caught in possession five minutes in and was almost punished by Mason Greenwood, whose low drive was well kept out by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The Barca goalkeeper’s long passes over the top were his side’s best route to goal early on, with both Felix and Raphinha getting in behind on separate occasions before being crowded out by Getafe’s back line.
20 minutes in, however, and Raphinha did make the most of a chance. This time, it was Jules Kounde whose long ball made the difference and the Brazilian held his nerve to slot beyond David Soria.
The hosts, who were playing a more direct style of football than normal, could have added a second soon after as Raphinha’s sumptuous cross nearly found Ilkay Gundogan, who was a hair’s breadth away from heading home unopposed.
Raphinha then skied another great chance as Getafe’s high line continued to invite all sorts of problems, before overhitting a pass to Felix which would have given the Portugal international a tap-in with the final kick of the half. Barcelona should have easily been two or three goals ahead.
Luis Milla struck the post with a long-range effort that appeared to unsettle Ter Stegen, but Barcelona soon regained control and doubled their lead through Felix.
On yet another counter, it was none other than Andreas Christensen who went racing through and, unlike Raphinha earlier, his cut-back was perfect for Felix to tap in.
Lewandowski had the ball in the back of the net soon after but the offside flag was correctly raised to spoil his fun, although the third goal wasn’t far behind.
De Jong came bursting forward and started a move which saw him tap into an empty net after Raphinha’s quick feet took the goalkeeper out of the equation.
Barcelona kept coming in search of a fourth goal which their performance definitely deserved. Lewandowski stung the gloves of Soria from close range as the clock ticked down, but there was still time for one more goal as Vitor Roque’s strike was parried into the path of Fermin for a routine finish.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 7/10 – Some great early passing and a handful of smart saves when needed.
RB: Jules Kounde – 8/10 – Great vision and a perfect pass to set up Raphinha’s opener. Always a threat going forward.
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 7/10 – Had the odd shaky moment but was largely in control of things. Wasn’t flustered by Getafe’s press.
CB: Ronald Araujo – 6/10 – Not the most convincing on this left side of defence but didn’t get a whole lot wrong either.
LB: Joao Cancelo – 6/10 – Some good moments but some frustrating decisions on the ball. A bit of a mixed showing.
DM: Frenkie de Jong – 8/10 – A slow start which saw him lose possession in some dangerous areas, but the Dutchman composed himself eventually. Did his best work defensively and even got in on the goals.
DM: Andreas Christensen – 7/10 – Played a box-to-box role which gave him the freedom to get forward and set up Felix for the second goal.
RM: Raphinha – 8/10 – A massive threat. Ended with a goal and an assist but mistakes actually prevented him from further boosting his stats.
AM: Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10 – Progressed play whenever he could. Was clearly trying to get forwards as much as possible.
LM: Joao Felix – 7/10 – Some smart flicks with those around him to exploit Getafe’s horrible defending. Got the goal his performance deserved after the break.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 7/10 – A selfless performance which saw Lewandowski dropping deep to occupy Getafe’s defenders, freeing up space for the teammates who actually had the speed to capitalise on the space behind.
Substitutes
SUB: Fermin Lopez (63′ for Felix) – 7/10
SUB: Vitor Roque (77′ for Raphinha) – 6/10
SUB: Oriol Romeu (77′ for Christensen) – 6/10
SUB: Hector Fort (83′ for Cancelo) – N/A
SUB: Pedri (83′ for Gundogan) – N/A
Subs not used: Inaki Pena (GK), Diego Kochen (GK), Inigo Martinez, Sergi Roberto, Marc Guiu, Lamine Yamal
Manager
Xavi – 9/10 – Read this game perfectly. Abandoned his principles in favour of a direct style of play which was the key to winning this match. Great intelligence from both the manager and his squad to make this as comfortable as it was.
Player of the match – Raphinha (Barcelona)
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