Between Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Joan García, Barça moved forward and resolved a match in which the harsh absence of Pedri was noticeable. The first caused a penalty that he himself converted; the second suffered the foul that sent off Renato Veiga to give the Barça team some air and scored the calming goal, silencing the Cerámica; and the third kept the score intact with five stops due to the losses generated by the defense. “What I liked most are the three points and that Joan García has helped us keep a clean sheet,” said Hansi Flick, happy with the attitude of the players, their intensity and work in training, and aware of the fatigue of his players.
During the first half, Villarreal warned. With fewer good passes – 90 compared to 300 for Barça – he achieved eight shots, two on target, and five chances, two of them clear. “Villarreal comes out quickly on the counterattack, they have players with speed and talent up front. We have to manage it a little better,” shared Frenkie de Jong, along the same lines as Flick. On Barcelona’s part, in the first half, of the five shots, only one was between the three posts: the one from the penalty scored by Raphinha. The Brazilian, who also hit the crossbar in the 15th minute, took home the MVP of the game, and has already scored seven goals this season and scored in three consecutive games. A vindication after not being chosen in the FIFA ideal eleven.
The game changed after the expulsion of Renato Veiga for a very hard tackle on Lamine Yamal’s left ankle. “I think it was a clear red card,” Flick did not hesitate. With one more player, Barcelona controlled the match. “I have always felt that we have been better on the field and that it is a deserved victory,” De Jong claimed. Even so, Ferran Torres and Fermín, who went to the bench frustrated throwing his coat, did not have their best day and were unable to find a goal. Lewandowski and Rashford came in to replace him. And immediately, Lamine Yamal scored, and celebrated by touching and showing the shield, and simulating a whistle with his fingers, silencing Cerámica, who did not stop whistling at him. “He has to know how to manage it. Scoring the second goal is the best answer,” said Flick.
Despite the victory, the defense suffered against Villarreal. The losses, especially in their own field, in the defensive zone and midfield, weighed on the team. In total, 40 failed passes during the first half. There was no defender available on the bench after the last minute loss of Andreas Christensen. The Dane suffered a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee after an accidental bad gesture during the training session on Saturday, and will follow conservative treatment that will keep him off the playing field for a minimum of four months.
“I will speak with Deco on Monday (about signing a center back or not). It is very important that Andreas returns well, he was in a good moment. It is a shame, because he was not providing much stability,” Flick shared, before and after the Villarreal game. His injury came after scoring against Guadalajara in the Copa del Rey last Tuesday. Despite his quality as a player, he has not had continuity: he has missed 66 games with Barça due to injury, 35% of what he has spent in the Barça shirt since he arrived in the summer of 2022.
The defensive errors were solved by Joan García, who was once again an insurance for Barcelona and to maintain the advantage from the lead before the Christmas break. Barcelona goes into the holidays with 46 points, four more than Real Madrid, and closes 2025 as the fifth highest scoring year in its history with 169 goals. “We knew that it was very important to end the year this way. Since we lost in London we have won everything,” shared Joan García. “It’s a fantastic end to the year,” celebrated Flick, who also celebrated the holidays before a high-voltage match against Espanyol, at home.
For more updates, visit our homepage: NewsTimesWire
