Competition for playing time wakes up Xavi’s Barcelona

That did not look like a post-Messi Barcelona team.

It was a symphony of talent, with each player challenging the other to stand tall, and play the game from their heart.

Unafraid of taking risks and failing.

They looked relaxed. Playing hard, trusting one another, and enjoying the simple joy of being on the pitch.

Joao Felix is the caged bird who has been set free. A footballer’s footballer, for whom every touch of the ball is an olé, an opportunity to create art.

Now at Barcelona, he has something to prove. But that’s not his main motivation.

Mostly, he looks comfortable just being himself.

Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Atletico Madrid was never a good fit for such an expressive player. That’s not to say he didn’t have a role to play. Over the years, as Barcelona can attest to, he helped the Colchoneros win big games, and gave a hint of what he was truly capable of.

Felix wanted Barca, as many players do, but in his home debut, he made the Barca fans want him too. Not an easy thing to do.

The audible gasps at the Lluis Companys for every touch of the ball at his feet was a release of built up frustration. Culers watch closely, they admire the details. It’s not just about winning, it’s about how you get there. If Felix can play this way consistently, he’ll capture hearts in no time.

But more importantly, performances like this put pressure on everyone else. Especially the forwards.

Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Barca needs the men up front to think and act like protagonists.

You are the stars of the show, the reason people watch, and for better or for worse, you get most of the credit when victory is won, because you are the one who should be scoring the goals.

Perhaps it was a bit of a surprise to see Xavi drop Lamine Yamal. But it was a decision that makes Xavi look prescient in hindsight.

Yamal will have plenty of opportunities going forward. He is the rising star of the world, setting records as the youngest player to score a goal for the Spanish national team, and putting his team-mates at Barcelona on alert.

Did Raphinha think that he had a free ride once Ousmane Dembele departed?

The Brazilian has underperformed at Barcelona, and for his own sake, he needed a kick in the butt.

He got one from the 16-year-old, and another one from Ferran Torres, who has been desperate to prove to his doubters, which was just about everyone before the season started, that he has the quality to lead the line at Barcelona.

Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Ferran got a much deserved start on Saturday, and once again had a moment of brilliance (or was it a happy accident?), to add more fuel to the fire that, at least right now, he’s the hot hand that can’t be dropped.

So when Raphinha and Lamine Yamal made their entrance, with the game already secured, they knew it wasn’t time for complacency. They had to eat too if they wanted to survive in this blossoming environment of sporting meritocracy.

And that’s just what they did with Yamal cutting in from the right side, and starting a sequence that ended with Raphinha banging home a golazo from the top of the box.

Five brilliant goals, capped off by the other Joao, who perhaps had the best game of anybody.

Ironically, Joao Cancelo is one with the least competition. By default, he’ll be on the field, whether it’s on the right or left, unless there’s a tactical reason to go defensive with a center back.

Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

Like Felix, he looked like someone whose spirit was free.

He may not have motivated his team-mates from a competition standpoint, but he was the one setting the example to get out of your head, and just play.

Barcelona has been so rigid in recent years. Here’s your shape, here’s your position, here’s how we possess the ball, do your job.

Cancelo was everything, everywhere, all at once.

He wasn’t thinking about where he should be, and if it was the wrong thing to do, and if he would be punished for not getting it right structurally or tactically.

Instead, he trusted his instincts and just played as the game formed around him.

Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images

In fact, in many moments, he made the game what it was by being so fearless and unpredictable.

He was the one that made the tackle, to turn the ball over high up the field, that resulted in the opening goal for Felix.

He played inverted at times, and on the wing when the situation called for it.

He played left and he played right. He used his left, and he used his right, which is how he turned Juan Miranda inside and out on his way to a stunning finish.

That’s how it was for Barcelona in this game.

A sense of urgency that you had to perform, because there was someone ready to take your spot if you didn’t.

But also a sense of freedom. No overthinking. Trust your talent, and the talent of your team-mates. Take risks, and enjoy the life of a footballer at Barcelona.

That’s confidence, and that’s the key to success on the pitch.

Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

With the Champions League starting this week, and Barca placed into one of the weaker groups, the team is getting hot at the right time, and they’ll have a chance to make a statement to the world, and to themselves, that the Blaugrana are on a mission to do something special in Europe.

If they keep pushing each other on and off the field, the potential for the season is limitless.

I have to admit, I’ve gone from skeptic to dreamer in the span of 90 minutes.

Maybe it’s best to take a step back, and call myself a cautious optimist.

It’s a long journey ahead, and one amazing game a season does not make.

But you get big points in my book for bringing joy and entertainment to the field.

At Barcelona, what usually follows from that is trophies.

This team is on the right path. May it continue.