Barcelona needed to make a statement in La Liga and did exactly that last night against Valencia at Montjuic.
The Catalans had a ball against Carlos Corberan’s side and were explosive from start to finish, burying the result in just the opening half hour.
Frenkie de Jong opened the scoring in just the 3rd minute on the night before Ferran Torres doubled the lead five minutes later.
Raphinha made it three for Barcelona and a Fermin Lopez brace took their lead to five goals before the half-time whistle.
Robert Lewandowski’s clinical finish made it six for Barcelona, but only after Valencia pulled one back via Hugo Duro. An own goal from Cesar Tarrega then ruthlessly made it 7-1.
Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Barcelona 7-1 Valencia.
Wojciech Szczesny: 7
The Polish goalkeeper was barely tested against Valencia as Barcelona retained complete control of the proceedings and barely gave the visitors any chance to hold on to the ball.
Made a rash advance in the box and gave away a penalty once again but was lucky to have it ruled out for a previous foul on Kounde.
Alejandro Balde: 7.5
The left-back continues to grow and impress in his niche and is only looking more dangerous in attack with every passing game. Balde was a potent threat on the left, always looking to push forward in attack and exhibiting great positional awareness.
Got an assist for Ferran Torres’ goal on the night with a perfectly weighted pass into the box.
Pau Cubarsi: 8.5
The youngster has become Flick’s most trusted resource at the back, and rightly so given his maturity and positional awareness at just 18 years of age.
Dished out a defensive masterclass against Valencia and safeguarded Barcelona’s penalty area largely. Also racked up a sensational assist for Fermin’s first goal of the night.
Eric Garcia: 7.5
The Spanish defender started against Valencia ahead of Ronald Araujo and showed clearly what he brings to the table – elite ball-playing skills.
While Garcia was decent with his defensive contributions, it was his ability to play out from the back that stood out and shone.
