FC Barcelona took on Real Betis in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey and absolutely blew their opponents away with an impressive 5-1 win. It was a performance of the highest order from Hansi Flick’s men.
It was not just about the goals that they scored but Barcelona played some of the most beautiful football they have in the last few years. For around 70 minutes, they did not surrender possession of the ball and it felt more like a rondo session than a football game.
With all this in mind, here are three talking points for Barcelona as they dismantled Real Betis 5-1 in the Round of 16 clash of the Copa del Rey at the Montjuic.
1. Hansi Flick depicts tactical nous
Hansi Flick is not one of those football managers who is very rigid about the positions that his players should occupy on a football pitch. He allows players to be fluid to bring the best out of them and trusts them to trust their instincts.
However, this can often be misinterpreted as the German coach not having tactical nous but last night against Real Betis, Hansi Flicks showed just how strong he is tactically. In fact, he has depicted this on a number of occasions.
The German coach started the season off with a 4-2-3-1 formation but after a run of middling results in November and December, he realized the need for ball retention and shifted to a more classical 4-3-3.
Last night, against Real Betis, he set his team up in the same formation, with Dani Olmo playing as a false nine rather than Robert Lewandowski as a natural striker.
Having four midfielders with the quality of Olmo, Pedri, Gavi, and Frenkie de Jong meant that ball retention was incredible against Betis, and with both Raphinha and Lamine on point from minute 1, this system offered a lot of happiness last night and a lot of promise for the future.
2. Lamine Yamal has added another weapon to his arsenal
At this point, one is running out of superlatives to describe Lamine Yamal. What he does on the pitch isn’t even astonishing anymore, and it has become the bare minimum one expects from him whenever he plays for Barcelona.
Since the turn of 2025 though, it looks like Lamine has added yet another weapon to his arsenal. Finding the back of the net was one thing the Spaniard had not yet cracked, often due to being rushed in front of the goal. However, that seems to have changed.
In three games since the turn of the year, Lamine has netted three goals. He was very unlucky not to have more against his name last night and if he keeps this form going, it is only a matter of time before he nets his first hattrick.
3. Jules ‘underrated’ Kounde
It is often difficult to shed tags that one has earned for a significant period in his career. Prior to his move to Barcelona, Jules Kounde was one of the best center-backs in the league for a good couple of seasons playing for Sevilla.
Right now though, there should be absolutely no doubt on anyone’s mind that Jules Kounde is right up there with the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Reece James in ‘the best right-backs in the world’ discussions.
