A Thumping Barcelona Win Underlines Their Ability To Entertain

A big Barcelona win over Newcastle United in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie ensured their entry into the quarter-finals.

Barcelona won the match 7-2 to win the tie 8-3 on aggregate. The Barcelona win also pointed to the obvious fact that the Catalans are probably the most entertaining team on the planet.

Barcelona Win Against Newcastle With Audacious Attacking Display

The Barcelona win was the result of a relentless attacking display. The Catalans never looked like slowing down and always displayed the intent of scoring goals. Even after scoring three goals in the first half, the Catalans showed no sign of slowing down and pumped in four goals past a helpless Newcastle defence in the second half.

Barcelona’s tempo has become faster under Hansi Flick. They always look to breach the defensive line with incisive passes, with the forwards ready to run in behind the defensive line. The build-ups are typically faster and give the opposition less time to react.

However, what they have retained from the yesteryears is the desire to press intensely. The way Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski press is a great advertisement for aggressive high-press.

Then there is Lamine Yamal, who loves to play with the ball at his feet. He makes those probing runs into the final third, often falling back to collect the ball, just like a right wing-back would do.

The Barcelona midfield is not a very physical one, which was evident in the match against Newcastle. The likes of Fermin Lopez and Pedri are not exactly great physical specimens, which was clear once they came up against Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.

However, their ability to make the ball move around without any difficulty is something that makes Barca an enthralling side to watch, as was evident in the Barcelona win. Their passes are not necessarily short always, and they take the risk of playing longer ones in a pursuit to break open opposition defences. Pedri is quite possibly the best midfielder in the world at the moment and can alter the course of any match within a few minutes.

All of that makes Barca an incomparably entertaining side. Their arch-rivals, Real Madrid, are also stacked with superstars, but their playing style is not as easy on the eye as Barcelona’s.