Barcelona steamrolled Alavés with a five-goal victory at Spotify Camp Nou on October 31, 2026, but don’t expect the faithful to be singing praises. Seriously, a five-goal rout usually has the whole city buzzing, but this time? Crickets, or at least a lot of nervous whispers.
The Routine Win That Tells Us Nothing
We’ve been here before, haven’t we? Barcelona absolutely dominates the small teams of La Liga, and Alavés is definitely one of them. Hansi Flick and his squad deserve credit for those tactics that just *work* against weaker opponents, and yeah, consistency over a long season is crucial for winning the league. But let’s be real, this campaign isn’t about cruising past the minnows. This is about taking the next step up, about going deep in the Champions League, and most importantly, about outlasting Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Spain. That’s the bar. And by that measure, there are already flashing warning signs. Flick as manager, and Joan Laporta as club head, haven’t shown they’ve learned anything from the last two seasons. Against PSG, the two-time reigning European champs, and Real Madrid, they were flat-out out-smarted by Luis Enrique and Jose Mourinho. Barcelona has the talent and the drive, no doubt, but adapting to rivals and internal shifts? That’s still the missing piece.
Flick’s Wild Gamble That Actually Paid Off (For Now)
Here’s some good news, though: the defensive injury crisis might actually be over soon. Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, and Eric Garcia should be back to full strength after the next international break. Thank goodness, right? Because against Alavés, Flick had to pull off some wild moves just to patch things up. He started Brian Fariñas, a midfielder by trade, at full-back, and slotted Frenkie de Jong, who was fresh off his own injury, into center-back. Talk about throwing guys into the deep end! And here’s the kicker: Fariñas was straight-up outstanding in his first start for the first team. De Jong? Didn’t put a single foot wrong. Lamine Yamal even celebrated his fourth goal with Farinas and Fermin Lopez. So, a short-term bridge worked. The question now is whether Flick runs that same defensive formula back this week when the real monsters show up.
Because the real tests start now, my friend. Against Aston Villa and Atlético Madrid this week, Flick is going to be under the microscope. Every decision, every substitution, will be scrutinized. We’re about to find out if that Alavés performance was a glimpse of a stronger, more adaptable Barcelona, or if it was merely a routine win masking deeper issues that still haunt this squad.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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