Carlos Corberan’s position at Valencia is looking increasingly fragile after another heavy defeat, with Barcelona producing a ruthless 5-0 victory at Mestalla while the home supporters once again turned their frustration towards the club’s ownership.
Valencia have taken just one point from their opening four league matches, and Corberan was left with little argument against a Barcelona side that dominated virtually every aspect of the contest.
“Barça was a superior team, from start to finish. So what happened is very easy to explain.
“They had many chances throughout the match. And when they scored the third, everything became very difficult for us,” said the Valencia manager.
Barcelona overwhelmed Valencia at Mestalla
The gulf between the two sides was reflected in the numbers. Barcelona registered 25 shots, nine of them on target, and found the net five times despite playing without a recognised number nine.
Carlos Corberan conceded to Barcelona’s brilliance. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/
Their dominance was not restricted to chances, either. Hansi Flick’s side enjoyed around 70% possession and completed close to 800 passes, while Valencia failed to reach 300.
Corberan acknowledged that Barcelona’s tactical flexibility made the challenge particularly difficult, regardless of how Valencia attempted to defend.
“Whether you play with a mid-block, a deep defensive line, or pressing high up the pitch, Barça always finds solutions.
“Against such a superior team, everything has to go your way to get anything out of it.”
That was evident as Barcelona repeatedly worked their way through Valencia’s defensive structure.
Barcelona scored five goals against Valencia. (Photo by David Ramos/
Once the third goal arrived, the hosts struggled to recover, and the match effectively became a showcase of the visitors’ attacking quality.
Flick’s Barcelona set the early La Liga pace
Barcelona’s victory was particularly impressive because it came without a conventional centre-forward.
Their attacking players repeatedly rotated positions, created spaces and shared the goalscoring responsibility.
The result also strengthened an already remarkable start to the La Liga campaign.
Barcelona now sit top of the table with 12 points from 12, having scored 17 goals across their opening four matches.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
