Barcelona's Strong Start with Flaws Exposed in Wild Win

Barcelona’s perfect start to the season survived a serious scare in Valencia, a wild 4-2 win at Levante exposing as many flaws as it did strengths – and leaving Hansi Flick both satisfied and slightly irritated.

Five games, five wins, 21 goals. On paper, it looks ruthless. On the pitch, this was anything but straightforward.

Barça win, but control slips

Lamine Yamal struck twice, Xavi Espart scored his first senior goal for the club and Karim Adeyemi came off the bench to kill the game late on. The attack did its job. The control Flick demands did not always follow.

"There were mistakes we made," the coach admitted afterwards, and he did not duck his own role in Levante’s first goal. Barcelona were preparing to substitute Espart, who was struggling with cramps, but Flick chose to delay the change until the next stoppage. In that window, Levante struck.

"For the first goal, I think the mistake was mine," he said. "Maybe if we had changed him at that moment, we would not have conceded that goal."

It was a rare public admission from a coach who has otherwise overseen a blistering start, one that now matches Barcelona’s best opening to a season. Flick was quick to park the milestone.

"I am proud of my team, and I am proud of the club. But in the end, this is only the beginning. I do not look too much at the numbers, because they also belong to the past."

The numbers are still striking. Barça have hit 21 goals in five matches, but Flick’s gaze keeps drifting to the other end of the pitch.

"Yes, of course," he said when asked about the attacking output, "but also the way we defend is important." Levante pressed aggressively, the pitch did not help, and Barcelona were dragged into a game that felt far more open than their coach wanted. "It was not an easy match," he added. "If you do not give 100%, things like this happen."

The message was clear: the standard is higher than this.

Espart announces himself, Adeyemi underlines his threat

On a night when the back line creaked, two forwards helped steady the mood.

Xavi Espart, promoted and trusted by Flick, delivered his first senior goal for Barcelona and earned a glowing review.

"At the moment he is doing well," Flick said. "Technically he is good, tactically as well. And physically he is 100% ready and he is proving it. He is playing at a great level."

If Espart’s contribution felt like a breakthrough, Adeyemi’s late strike felt like a reminder. Brought on to stretch Levante in the closing stages, he produced a brilliant fourth goal that finally ended the contest.

"No, I am not surprised, because when he is focused, he is a fantastic player. That is what he has to deliver," Flick said. "Especially with the fourth goal, he was fantastic. In that situation you can see that he has something special."

Adeyemi did what Anthony Gordon could not on the night: turn promise into an end product.

Gordon backed to respond

Gordon’s numbers this season have leaned heavily towards assists, and while he struggled to influence this game in the final third, Flick moved quickly to protect him.

"I think Anthony gives us a lot, especially when he receives the ball," the coach said. "He is always able to control it and then pass it to one of our players, and therefore keep possession."

The goals, though, are still missing.

"Of course, as an attacker, when you have chances, you want to score. I hope he scores very soon, because that will also help him integrate completely. But I am happy with him, and I really appreciate what he gives us."

That left flank now carries two very different threats in Gordon and Adeyemi, and Flick knows he will need both over the coming months. One knits moves together, the other rips games open.

For now, Barcelona walk away with another win, their fifth straight to open the campaign. The attack is flying, the depth is showing, and yet Flick’s post-match words keep circling back to control, to intensity, to the goals they gave away.

If this is "only the beginning", as he insists, how long before Barcelona’s performances start to match their results?