Not content with thrashing arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final at the weekend, Barcelona cruised to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals last night with a 5-1 rout of visitors Real Betis.
It was an outstanding display in which Barca barely gave their opponents a chance, reminding their fans why they were considered one of the strongest teams in Europe during the early stages of this season.
Gavi, Jules Kounde, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal all scored, before their on-loan striker Vitor Roque pulled one back from the penalty spot for Betis in the final minutes.
Hansi Flick’s team will find out their quarter-final opponents on Monday, but after this recent run of games they are in the best possible form as they head into a crucial part of the season — the final two matches of the Champions League’s initial league phase lie ahead over the next two weeks, while they are aiming to close a six-point gap on La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid from their current position in third.
Here, we analyse the cup game’s biggest talking points…
How far is Yamal from being the best in the world?
That is a genuine question Barcelona fans are asking themselves — not that the 17-year-old forward’s Barca team-mates seem to have any doubts.
“After Lionel Messi, for me Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world right now,” Gavi told reporters in the post-match mixed zone.
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“Gavi is very emotional!” Flick told his press conference when he heard about the midfielder’s claim. “But you can see the player Yamal is… In big games, you see the big talents, and Lamine has proved he is one of them many times. He is on a great path right now, but he is very young and we need to take care of him.”
Yamal was the star of the show for Barcelona once again in last night’s match. He scored Barca’s fifth, had another goal ruled out for offside by the finest of margins and provided the assist as Kounde made it 2-0 on 28 minutes. But it was his dominance, the fear he sparked in every Betis defender and the havoc he wreaked every time he went forward, that was on a different scale.
Before the end of 2024, Yamal said in a club-media interview that one of his New Year’s resolutions was to get more goals: “In 2025, I want to score more, be there in every game. Last year it went really well for me with the assists, but I need to improve on scoring.”
He is on three goals and an assist for 2025 three games into the year, which makes it 21 goal involvements in 24 games this season. The kid is doing alright.
Olmo shines as a false nine
Flick rested 36-year-old first-choice striker Robert Lewandowski and used this cup tie to experiment a little. He played summer 2024 signing Dani Olmo as a false nine for the first time — and the result was as satisfying as he could have hoped.
Fresh from his temporary registration after a protracted saga over the winter break, Olmo was superb. The 26-year-old Spain international thrived with his freedom of movement, enjoyed dropping deeper and getting closer to Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, as Barcelona overwhelmed the Betis midfield.
Olmo thrived in his new role for Barca (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lewandowski is in fine form again this season, scoring 26 goals already in 27 club appearances. But the ability to change from having a more traditional target man up front to a free-flowing midfield system added an extra layer of danger to this impressive Barca side.
“Lewy was not an option for tonight, but the plan worked out perfectly,” Flick said. “We knew that Dani could play in this position, he had done it with the national team, and we are very happy with the performance.”
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Barca averaging more than three goals a game
Across all competitions, Flick’s team have scored 88 goals in 29 matches this season — an average of more than three a game.
It is a crazy stat, and one with echoes of the club’s best times. Only their 2011-12 team, managed by Pep Guardiola and with Messi in attack, had better stats in the past 60 years of Barcelona’s history. They had scored 95 times after 29 games. In both 1942-43 and 1958-59, Barca registered 93 goals in the same number of games. Flick’s team are right up there.
A big reason for that is the devastating front three the German has a) assembled and b) taken to the next level. Lewandowski (26), Raphinha (20) and Yamal (nine) are the team’s three top goalscorers, accounting for more than 62 per cent of the 88.
Araujo leaning towards a contract extension
Flick started Ronald Araujo against Betis, and also gave him the captain’s armband.
The Uruguay centre-back needs to keep up his match fitness after recently returning from a lengthy absence with a hamstring injury as fellow defender Inigo Martinez is now set to miss a month with the same issue. Most importantly, Flick decided to trust the 25-year-old because he finally looks set to stay at Barcelona and sign a new contract amid noise over his future.
As he was replaced after 64 minutes, Araujo was given a noisy standing ovation by the crowd. He responded by tapping the Barca badge on his chest and thanking the fans for their gesture.
Captain Araujo shows off the Supercopa trophy pre-game (Ricardo Larreina/Europa Press via Getty Images)
There was real interest in Araujo from Juventus of Italy, but the Supercopa win against Madrid, along with the trust of Flick and sporting director Deco seem to have convinced him he should stay. But Barca required the player to extend his contract — the current one expires at the end of next season — if he wanted that to happen.
Representatives from Araujo’s camp are expected to land in Barcelona during the week to seal the details of a new deal.
“I have never had any doubts with Araujo’s future,” Flick said. “You have all seen how fans celebrated his game tonight. Araujo gives the team something special.”
What next for Barcelona?
Saturday, January 18: Getafe (A), La Liga, 8pm GMT, 3pm ET
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(Top photo: Siu Wu/picture alliance via Getty Images)
