So that’s what it is all about. Having fun watching football.
The crowd at Montjuic stared incredulously up at the scoreboard and down at the pitch. They had practically forgotten this feeling.
Barcelona had won La Liga last season, yes. But at Barcelona, it’s not just about winning, you also have to entertain a public with an exquisite palate, who demand excellence incessantly, even at times when they are aware that the club’s current squad doesn’t have it in them.
Last season was a title of one of the best defences in Europe, the title of the one-nils. Defensively, their 2022-23 team were outstanding. But not creatively.
Only Robert Lewandowski was up to the task during the first half of that campaign.
Due to the lack of punch from his forwards, coach Xavi decided to modify the system after the World Cup break in November and December.
Frenkie de Jong improved in a double pivot alongside Sergio Busquets. Gavi and Pedri got on a roll. Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele — or Raphinha, when the latter was injured — were up front.
Torres celebrates his stunning goal (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
The changes worked. Barca won their first title in five years. But there were many close results, too many victories where only one goal was scored. Lewandowski felt it. He went through a scoring slump, not as many chances were coming to him. The midfielders had to run more than usual and injuries hit, especially to Pedri.
With those memories fresh in the mind, Barca fans looked on in disbelief at their two newest players during Saturday’s 5-0 demolition of visitors Real Betis. Joao Cancelo, the right-back they have longed for since Dani Alves left at the end of his first spell at the club seven years ago, stepped up to be almost a midfielder and put on a show, dragging the whole team further forward.
Joao Felix scored, assisted… and dribbled. He was sometimes a winger and sometimes a playmaker, bringing a mixture of magic and joy.
There was something that, without doubt, had been lacking in recent years. Going to see your team put on a show and not just to win.
In his first start since joining on loan from Atletico Madrid, Joao Felix opened the scoring on 25 minutes, then assisted Lewandowski for the second seven minutes later. He was a child fulfilling a dream, having fun and entertaining the crowd, leaving the fans praying that this level will be maintained throughout the season.
“I see the Joaos wanting to help the team and that they are where they want to be,” Xavi said after the match.
“For both of them, it was a dream to play for Barca, and as a coach, I have to make the most of it. Today they played with a joy that raises the level of the team. They have been hard workers for the team and that’s the most important thing. We have to take advantage of the positive dynamic they have.”
Lewandowski, flanked by Joao Felix and Ferran Torres, was more involved. This system means more chances for him, as Xavi said later: “He’s enjoying himself and didn’t need to leave his position frequently. We provided him with passes at the right moments. He seems happy.”
Torres is performing well so far in a season in which he seems to have undergone a complete transformation. He has improved his physique with a trainer and a physiotherapist he hired himself, training on his own and also strengthening his mind. This mental work has given him back his confidence. And he has also given himself a new nickname: the ‘tiburon’ (shark).
“The credit is Ferran’s,” Xavi said. “He made it clear to me in the summer that he was staying, that in his mind he could only succeed at Barca. He has turned the tables, almost nobody believed in him. I am very happy.”
After being the joint top scorer in the team through the first four games despite playing solely as a substitute, Torres was crying out for a starting place and, against Betis, Xavi gave it to him.
Cancelo drove Barca forward and scored their final goal (Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
He repaid his manager by scoring the third from a direct free kick — something nobody had done for the club since Lionel Messi in May 2021.
Torres is so high on confidence that even if the shot didn’t go the way he planned it, the ball still ended up in the net. “My idea was to take the free kick over the wall. It came out a bit wrong, but it went in, which is the important thing,” he said.
Raphinha has been the loser in these early weeks on Barcelona’s right, between the emergence of Lamine Yamal, Torres’ good form and having to sit out a few games due to suspension after being sent off in the season-opening draw away to Getafe.
He was the last to return to Catalonia from international duty after playing for Brazil twice in South America’s World Cup qualifiers, but two minutes after coming on to replace Torres, he scored the fourth goal. He celebrated with rage, as if he was aware that, with this, he would not be left behind.
Cancelo joined the scorers’ list with nine minutes of the 90 remaining to give Barca their first 5-0 win since late in the 2020-21 season.
The match was over, the two Portuguese signings exchanged smiling glances. Gavi, who had a great game in the middle, hugged them and then went to find De Jong and Andreas Christensen, with whom he chatted animatedly and made jokes as they moved across to greet the fans.
The fans, used to leaving before the final whistle at Camp Nou to try to avoid the city’s traffic on the way home, decided to stay a little longer in the club’s temporary home to applaud their team.
And why not? Barca had made them enjoy themselves.
(Top photo: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
