Barcelona scored five goals for the second time in their opening three matches of the new season as Hansi Flick’s side defeated Rayo Vallecano in the third round. Rayo tried to resist and struck back with a polished brace from Sergio Camello, but Barcelona’s attacking quality ultimately proved decisive.
The result also highlighted concerns in Flick’s defence. Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen, in particular, were left facing renewed questions over their footballing ability. At the other end of the pitch, however, Barcelona were outstanding.
Flick has built an attack that spreads across the pitch with devastating effect, repeatedly cutting through the opposition defence. The movement and combination play were so effective that Raphinha already looks like one of the world’s leading centre-forwards, despite being deployed in a central role.
Here is an assessment of the Barcelona players who made the victory so emphatic, with ratings on a 10-point scale.
Barcelona’s three best players against Rayo Vallecano
Anthony Gordon – 8.0
The Englishman remains a relatively quiet presence for now, but his willingness to put the team’s needs before his own made a significant contribution in several important moments.
Gordon’s surging runs down the left repeatedly unsettled Rayo Vallecano’s defence and created the conditions for two of Barcelona’s goals. His movement opened space and gave the attack a steady source of danger.
On one occasion, Florian Lejeune denied Raphinha a goal by getting to Anthony Gordon’s cross first and turning it towards the net himself. Gordon responded impressively, producing a fine cut-back pass that finally placed Raphinha in a clear scoring position.
Raphinha – 9.0
Raphinha was the leading figure in the scoring, completing a brace and taking his tally to five goals after the first three rounds. That total puts him at the top of the goalscoring standings.
The Brazilian’s professionalism and understanding of the game stood out. Once he was asked to play as a number nine, he committed fully to the role and worked tirelessly in that position. Raphinha appears to understand every demand of the game at an exceptional level.
Against Rayo, he repeatedly sprinted on to balls played from deep, maintained pressure on the defence and led the press. His movement caused Lejeune to divert one effort into his own goal, while Raphinha’s finishing gave Barcelona the platform for another convincing victory.
Lamine Yamal – 9.0
By the third round, Lamine Yamal appeared to have found his rhythm and was playing with a visible smile. His shooting against Rayo Vallecano was particularly impressive, with both of his goals displaying outstanding quality.
Yamal repeatedly found the target from outside the penalty area, placing his efforts close to the crossbar and giving the goalkeeper no realistic chance of making a save.
His contribution went beyond the goals. Yamal also registered seven key passes, completed seven successful dribbles and won 11 duels, underlining the breadth of his influence in Barcelona’s attacking performance.
