Barcelona won 4-2, but Levante exposed a problem Hansi Flick cannot ignore

Barcelona’s perfect start to the LaLiga season continued with a 4-2 win over Levante, but the scoreline does not tell the whole story.

For most of the afternoon at the Ciutat de València, Barcelona looked like the team everyone expected them to be. They moved the ball quickly, created chances and took a 3-0 lead before the hour mark. Lamine Yamal was, once again, at the centre of everything.

Then the game got unnecessarily complicated. Levante scored twice in the final 12 minutes of normal time, turning what should have been a comfortable Barcelona victory into a nervy finish. Karim Adeyemi eventually settled it in stoppage time, but not before Levante had given Hansi Flick another reminder that Barcelona’s attack is still doing the heavy lifting

Barcelona’s attacking brilliance cannot always cover for defensive lapses.

There was plenty to like about Barcelona’s performance before things started to unravel. Xavi Espart opened the scoring in the fifth minute, arriving at the right moment to finish off a move involving Raphinha. Yamal then doubled the advantage in the 19th minute, again with Raphinha involved.

The third came shortly after half-time when Yamal converted from the penalty spot after being fouled by Levante defender Aïssa Mandi.

It was another reminder of just how difficult Barcelona are to contain when their forwards find space. Barcelona also dominated possession, finishing with 75% of the ball and more than 700 accurate passes. On paper, that sounds like complete control.

Levante exposed Barcelona’s uncomfortable side

At 3-0 when the game looked sealed, Levante found a way back into the game. Iván Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute before Roger Brugué made it 3-2 nine minutes later. Both goals came after Barcelona failed to deal with situations that should have been manageable. 

Levante did not need to dominate possession to cause problems. They simply became more aggressive, attacked the spaces Barcelona left behind and took advantage when the visitors’ defensive concentration dropped.

The numbers tell a similar story. Despite Barcelona’s overwhelming possession, Levante finished with 13 shots to Barcelona’s 12, while the expected goals figures were surprisingly close.

That does not mean Barcelona were lucky to win. They were the better side and deserved the three points. But it did become much more competitive than a 3-0 lead should have allowed.

The warning matters more than the result

There is no reason for Barcelona fans to panic…yet. This is still a team that has won all five of its LaLiga matches and sits at the top of the table. Yamal is in ridiculous form, the attack keeps producing goals, and Barcelona have already shown that they can always win, even when uncomfortable.

However, the Spanish giants will face better teams than Levante this season. Teams with more quality in the final third may not need two late chances to turn defensive mistakes into goals. If Barcelona switch off against those opponents, there may not be a Karim Adeyemi moment waiting at the other end to rescue them.

To their credit, Barcelona did find that response. Adeyemi’s stoppage-time goal came after an impressive individual run and finally ended Levante’s hopes of completing the comeback.

But, will Flick get this lesson and find a solution to the problems? We should find out in the coming matches.

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