FC Barcelona debuted with a narrow victory at Mestalla against Valencia (1-2) in what was Hansi Flick's first official match on the Barça bench. The one from Heidelberg did not hesitate to trust the kids, just like on the American tour, and ended up giving a 'master class' in terms of reading the match, especially in a second half where both teams showed the physical wear and tear typical of a very demanding and hot summer.
From the outset, the coach put Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal, although neither of them traveled to the American tour. The center back had just won the gold medal at the Olympic Games, while the winger did have a well-deserved rest after his spectacular Euro Cup. Both were up to the task, confirming the prominence they had in the second half of 2023-24 and with timely actions to change the game.
Just before the break, Cubarsí saved a shot from Hugo Duro on the line that would have put the lead 2-0 in favor of the locals. On the next play, Lamine assisted Lewandowski to tie the match. "The preseason was not easy, there were many players with the national teams and the La Masia players did very well. Also today," commented the coach after the game. The work of the Casadó-Bernal duo in the center of the field was also important, once again carrying the task of giving balance to a team that had its 'play maker' in Raphinha in the first half.
The income of Pedri and Eric García gave strength to Barça
Although the Brazilian looked uncomfortable and, at times, lost playing in the center, Barça managed to react at the right moment to turn the result around. After the 1-2 score by 'Lewy', Flick understood the need to tweak the lineup with the additions of Pedri and Christensen for Ferran Torres (from a poor game) and Cubarsí (he was reprimanded). The Dane came in over revs and saw the yellow as soon as he entered, while the '8' did his job, giving the team peace of mind to sustain the result based on possession.
Later Eric García would enter for an exhausted Marc Bernal. In principle, the logic aimed to advance Christensen to the pivot position, but it was the Catalan who was in charge of accompanying Casadó, leaving very good feelings with confidence at the start and covering ground to cut off any local counterattack. Before the end, Pau Víctor replaced Lamine, another change called to refresh the bands in the last minutes. Beyond having lost a substitution due to Balde's injury, the German coach knew how to make the most of the changes and ended up winning the tactical duel against Rubén Baraja in his debut in LaLiga.