Flick delighted by Barcelona’s commitment after Valencia thrashing

 Hansi Flick hailed Barce­lona’s commit­ment as they ended their four-match winless streak in La Liga with a 7-1 hammering of Valencia.

Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez all scored in the first half, with the lat­ter twice hitting the back of the net to put Barcelona in control before Robert Lewandowski and an own goal from Cesar Tarrega rounded off the demolition.

Barcelona scored four goals before the 24th minute of a La Liga match De Jong 3′, Torres 8′, Raphinha 14′ and Fermin 24′ for the first time since October 2008 against Almeria, also at home. It was also the first time they held a five-goal half-time lead since April 2015 against Getafe at home in La Liga.

Flick was delighted with how his side bounced back after their recent run and stressed the importance of his squad depth.

“The players showed fresh legs. They were in the game and did a great job. I liked my team’s performance,” Flick told a news confer­ence.

“It’s not a problem for me to have so many quality players to choose from. It’s good.

“Everyone was impecca­ble and very commit­ted throughout the game.”

After 14 goals and five assists in 67 games, Fermin scored and assisted for the first time in a single game for Barcelona in all competitions.

He is just the second Barcelona player to be involved in three goals before half-time two goals and one assist in a game this season, after Robert Lewandowski’s hat-trick in 32 minutes last October at Deport­ivo Alaves.

Flick hailed Fermin, whose brace and two assists were key to the win, saying: “He played a fantastic game, he was very good on the ball, and he finished very well.”

The German also praised Wo­jciech Szczesny after the Polish goalkeeper was again preferred to Inaki Pena after also start­ing in their stunning 5-4 win at Benfica that booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Szczesny played his first La Liga game as a starter, his fifth in all competitions for Barce­lona. With this win, the Pole is the goalkeeper in the top 5 European Leagues with the most starting games with a 100% winning record five.

“It is a difficult situation for Inaki Pena,” admitted Flick. “We always compare what Inaki or Szczesny bring to the table. It’s not a debate, they’re both good. It’s a feeling… and we have to make a decision. I think it was right for him to play.”

Barcelona next face Atalanta in the final match of the league phase of the Champions League on Wednesday, with their automatic qualification spot already sealed, and host Alaves in La Liga on Sun­day. -beinsports

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