Barcelona Secures Fifth Straight Win Despite Defensive Concerns
Barcelona’s perfect start lives on, but this one left a few bruises.
Hansi Flick’s team walked out of Levante with a 4-2 win, five victories from five and 21 goals scored, yet the coach stepped in front of the cameras talking more about control than celebration.
They dazzled in bursts. They wobbled in others. And Flick did not hide from either truth.
Firepower over fluency
A brace from Lamine Yamal, plus goals from Xavi Espart and Karim Adeyemi, dragged Barça through a game that never quite settled into the calm dominance their coach demands.
It was not a statement of superiority. It was a reminder of what raw attacking talent can do when the structure frays.
“The goals we conceded came from mistakes we made,” Flick admitted, before going one step further. On Levante’s first strike, he pointed the finger at himself.
Barcelona’s defence looked open, stretched more often than Flick would tolerate. The turning point, in his eyes, was a substitution that did not come quickly enough.
“We wanted to substitute Xavi because he was having some cramps, and I said: ‘Okay, let’s wait until the next stoppage.’ Maybe if we had changed him at that moment, we would not have conceded that goal.”
A small delay. A big price. Flick owned it.
Record start, restless coach
The numbers are already impressive. This win equals Barcelona’s best-ever start, and they are cutting through opponents with ease in the final third.
Flick, though, refused to bask in any early-season glow.
“I am proud. I am proud of my team, and I am proud of the club. But in the end, this is only the beginning. I do not look too much at the numbers, because they also belong to the past.”
The present, for him, is about balance. Barcelona have 21 goals in five matches, yet he circled back to the other side of the ball.
“Yes, of course,” he said when asked about the attacking output, “but also the way we defend is important. Normally, they pressed us very well today. I also think the pitch was not in the best condition. So it was not an easy match.”
Levante pressed high, the surface did not help Barça’s passing rhythm, and the game opened up more than Flick would have liked. When the question came about intensity, his answer was blunt.
“If you do not give 100%, things like this happen.”
Espart’s first, Adeyemi’s reminder
Amid the tension, there were bright personal stories. Xavi Espart scored his first senior goal for Barcelona, a milestone that did not go unnoticed by his coach.
“At the moment he is doing well. Technically he is good, tactically as well. And physically he is 100% ready and he is proving it. He is playing at a great level.”
If Espart’s goal hinted at the future, Adeyemi’s late strike underlined what he already is when locked in: a match-winner.
“No, I am not surprised, because when he is focused, he is a fantastic player. That is what he has to deliver,” Flick said.
The fourth goal, a moment of individual quality, clearly delighted him.
“Especially with the fourth goal, he was fantastic. In that situation you can see that he has something special.”
On a night when the left flank needed a spark, Adeyemi provided it.
Gordon’s drought, not his downfall
Anthony Gordon did not. No goal, no standout display, and another game where the numbers did not fully reflect the graft. Flick, though, was quick to shield him.
“I think Anthony gives us a lot, especially when he receives the ball. He is always able to control it and then pass it to one of our players, and therefore keep possession,” he said.
“Of course, as an attacker, when you have chances, you want to score. I hope he scores very soon, because that will also help him integrate completely. But I am happy with him, and I really appreciate what he gives us.”
Gordon has been an assist machine this season, but this was not his sharpest outing. The difference now is that Barcelona have the depth to absorb an off-night. When Gordon faded, Adeyemi arrived and did what every winger craves: he decided the game.
Both will remain central to Flick’s plans on that left side in the coming months. The competition is real. So is the trust.
Barcelona leave Levante with five wins from five, goals flowing, and a coach who refuses to be seduced by the scoreline. If this is “only the beginning,” how ruthless will they look when the control finally matches the firepower?
