Three talking points from Barcelona – Bayern 4:1

On Wednesday evening, Hansi Flick met his old club Bayern Munich for the first time.

A club team that inflicted Barca's worst defeat (8-2) in 75 years in August 2020, when Flick himself was in charge.

Before the test against the Bavarian giants, the hosts did not need to be reminded that they had last beaten Bayern in 2015.

In the six attempts since then, Barca had lost them all, scoring just two goals in a meaningless second leg in the 2015 Champions League semi-final and two more in an 8-2 win. The Blaugranes had never scored a goal in any other game.

Therefore the odds were clearly against the hosts. Let's look at the talking points from Barca's brilliant 4-1 win.

Tour de Force by Centurion Raphinha

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Raphinha was in sensational form on his 100th appearance for the club.

The Brazilian was Barca's best player throughout 2024/25 and showed once again that he is the right man for the big occasion.

With a cool, calm head, he let the first pass of the game slip in the opening minute, and his control and determination after receiving Marc Casado's sensational pass ensured his second pass of the night was never in doubt.

His third shot was arguably the best of all, controlling Lamine's pass to the chest before firing past a desperate Manuel Neuer and into the goal.

However, it wasn't just the goals that set his performance apart from his contemporaries.

Raphinha was everywhere, rushing and harassing the opponent and not giving Bayern a moment's peace.

To be honest, it was an incredibly good individual performance and undoubtedly one of the best of the season.

Counter-attack excellence

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If Wednesday night's game taught us anything, it was that Barcelona can finally play effectively on the counterattack – and against one of the most traditional clubs in European football.

The Catalans allowed two-thirds of the ball possession against the attacking Bayern, who played almost 200 more passes than the hosts.

However, when it mattered most, Barca remained calm.

Four goals from four shots on goal tell a story of their own: Robert Lewandowski makes his first appearance against his old employer.

Pedri and Marc Casado often edged out potential Barca targets Joshua Kimmich and Joao Palhinha in central midfield, allowing the Blaugranes to play more expansively and attack continuously down the wings.

Hansi Flick's tactics were spot on… again.

Worries before El Clasico

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Although it's difficult to criticize Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde after such a brilliant win, they still gave Flick enough to worry about that night and ahead of El Clasico.

Both progressed with ease, but often struggled to get into the outside areas when the opportunity arose.

Defensively they were okay without being outstanding, but their positioning often left a lot to be desired.

Balde was particularly guilty of this, and by repeatedly coming in, he left behind several hectares of space.

He was lucky that Bayern failed to capitalize on many occasions and against the pace of Kylian Mbappe and Vini Jr both full-backs will need to be much more disciplined.