Ousmane Dembele scored and assisted three other players as Barcelona warmed up for Wednesday’s Champions League game against Bayern Munich in a 4-0 thrashing of Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou.
Xavi’s team took a three-goal lead before halftime in their Villarreal thrashing on Thursday and repeated the stunt on Sunday when Sergi Roberto and Robert Lewandowski joined Dembele on the scoresheet at 22 minutes.
Setting up Roberto and Lewandowski, Dembele continued to terrorize Athletic after the break and helped Barca add some shine when he beat Ferran Torres for a neat finish at the end.
The result saw Barca back three points clear of leaders Real Madrid in the La Liga standings, with Los Blancos taking the lead with a 3-1 win against Sevilla on Saturday.
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Dembele now has one goal and THREE assists! #BarcaAthletic pic.twitter.com/iloW0TxeZI
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 23, 2022
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Dembele opened the scoring in the 12th minute, checking Unai Simon before nodding to Lewandowski’s pass after the striker recovered the lost ball.
More fortunate with Barça’s second, who fell on the fact that Roberto’s ball deviated from Simon at an acute angle after Dembele’s cross.
Dembélé played his part again in Barça’s third match when Athletic collapsed, driving inside from the right to serve Lewandowski, who spun around and hit the top of the goal.
Barça took a hit when Gavi limped after a collision with Dani Garcia before half-time, but they nearly scored a fourth when Garcia’s clearance hit Pedri and crashed into the post.
Dembele once again showed his creativity when Barça ended the rout in the 73rd minute with a low cross to Torres who moved the ball to his right foot before ending the game in cold blood.
What does it mean? Barça warming up in style
An El Clasico loss to Madrid and a one point return from two Champions League encounters with Inter increased the pressure on Xavi earlier this month when the Barça boss admitted his job would be in jeopardy if they won’t react.
The reaction of the Blaugrana could hardly have been more decisive: Barça inflicted heavy defeats on Villarreal and Athletic.
While Barça’s strikers have eclipsed all the headlines, they’ve kept a clean sheet at home in La Liga six times in a row, the best since a 12-match streak under Pep Guardiola in 2011. Maintaining that defensive solidity will be critical when Bayern visit the Camp Nou next.
Dembele ransom continues
Dembele’s rescue at the Camp Nou was interesting to watch. The French striker, seen as overpriced as the money-strapped Blue Garnet struggled to raise funds back in January, is now the creative backbone of Xavi’s revitalized squad.
The winger’s third assist of the match was also his fifth of the season in La Liga, more than any other player in the competition, and he has now scored six goals in eight league games against Athletic.
Unsuccessful return of Valverde
Sports coach Ernesto Valverde led Barça to four trophies in a three-year tenure at the club between 2017 and 2020, but his former team was in no mood to give him a warm welcome on Sunday.
Valverde lost their last eight league matches against Barcelona in what was his worst losing streak against any opponent in his entire La Liga career, while Athletic failed to win any of their last 21 Camp Nou outings ( L18D3).
What’s next?
On Wednesday, Barcelona will take on Bayern Munich in a big Champions League clash, while Athletic will host Villarreal on Sunday in La Liga.