Valencia's Silence: Barcelona Returns to Last Season

BARCELONA, MONDAY – Hansi Flick increasingly establishes himself as the natural "kryptonite" for Carlos Corberan. Valencia, under Corberan's guidance, was rendered powerless once again after suffering a crushing defeat of 0-6 against Barcelona in the Spanish League match at Johan Cruyff Stadium, Barcelona, on Monday (15/9/2025) early morning WIB. The significant victory over Valencia also marks the return of Barcelona to the form of last season.

Barca began the new season unconvincingly after being held to a draw by Rayo Vallecano in the third week of La Liga. Barcelona's coach Hansi Flick accused the players' egos of hindering the team from delivering its best performance. From there, the statement emerged that ego can kill Barca's success. This statement has become a widely discussed topic in Catalonia over the past two weeks.

Flick then utilized the match against Valencia as a moment of catharsis for the team. He applied an iron fist. Surprisingly, he benched Raphinha, who has been a mainstay in Barca's attacking line. His position was taken over by Marcus Rashford. Flick sidelined Raphinha due to his late arrival at the team's training session.

The penalty of a fine for players who arrive late to practice has been replaced with a ban on playing. For Barca players, paying a fine is not a difficult matter. The situation changes if they are threatened with not receiving playing time. Such sanctions are considered more effective than paying a sum of money.

In addition to Raphinha, other players who have been penalized by Flick for being late include Jules Kounde and Inaki Pena. The German coach does not discriminate in enforcing discipline. He views punctuality as an important aspect for team unity.

From there, a sense of mutual respect emerged. Flick's iron hand reflects his broader emphasis on discipline, order, and professionalism. These principles have been with him since his time managing Bayern Munich.

As a result, Barca was able to perform well again as a cohesive unit. Facing Valencia, who adopted a defensive stance in a 5-4-1 formation, Barca's collective play successfully dismantled Valencia's solid wall. Valencia's coach, Carlos Corberan, employed a defensive approach knowing that Barca often builds attacks vertically. By piling up players in the back, Corberan hoped to counter Barca's vertical assaults.

However, in reality, things did not go as Corberan had anticipated. By playing collectively, the Barca players were able to dismantle Valencia's defense. The first goal for Barca, scored by Fermin Lopez in the 29th minute, demonstrated how the team's collectivity was highly effective in breaking through the opponent's tight defense.

The goal for Barca originated from the tactics of the defending champion on the right side of Valencia's defense. Rashford and Gerarrd Martin lured two Valencia defenders out of position. When a gap was created, Fermin ran to exploit it. Fermin's speed could not be matched by Mouctar Diakaby, allowing him to easily conquer Valencia's goalkeeper, Julen Agirrezabala, from close range.

"Fermin played very well. But it wasn't just his role. The whole team was involved, and that's the most important thing," Flick said, as quoted by Diario AS.

In the second half, Flick lifted Raphinha's suspension by sending him onto the field to replace Roony Bardghji. Raphinha's entry enhanced the sharpness of Barca's attacking line on the wing. The combination of the two wingers immediately paid off in the 53rd minute when Raphinha doubled Barca's lead by capitalizing on Rashford's precise cross.

The Valencia players immediately lost their fighting spirit after falling behind by a significant margin. The solid defense they had planned was shattered by the collective play of the "Blaugrana."

The previous meeting record, which favored Barca, also affected the psychology of the Valencia players, leading to continued conceding of goals by Fermin in the 56th minute, Raphinha in the 66th minute, and Robert Lewandowski in the 76th and 86th minutes.

The distribution of goal scorers for Barca in this match also demonstrates the return of the team's collective spirit. Flick's disciplined approach has proven effective in suppressing the players' egos, allowing them to play as a unit rather than in isolation. This condition reminds fans of last season's Barca, which relied on team collectivism to win the league.

Meanwhile, for Corberan, this defeat marks the third consecutive loss to Flick. Even more painful, all three defeats were by a significant margin. In three encounters with Flick's Barca, Corberan has conceded 18 goals while only managing to score one goal.

"Barca outplayed us in the game and duels in the second half. As we entered the game, we conceded the first goal. Our defense was solid and our movement was good, but we failed to prevent the second goal. After the third goal, the team fell apart. We were disorganized," said Corberan.