Two Key Talking Points From Barcelona’s Thrashing of Elche in La Liga Opener

Barcelona wasted no time igniting their campaign for a three-peat, utterly thrashing Elche 5–0 in their La Liga opener Sunday night.

The back-to-back Spanish champions were quite experimental in their starting lineup at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero and even struggled in the first half to get an emphatic grip on the game, but once the flood gates opened in the second interval, the goals just kept rushing through.

It was a dazzling display from summer signings Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon, and the Catalans haven’t even welcomed their most thrilling signing to the pitch yet: Rodri.

It’s still too early to tell, but the Blaugrana might just be destined to stack a third crown on their heads next spring.

Here are Sports Illustrated’s key talking points from Sunday’s intimidating victory.

Front Line Shake-Up for Barcelona—Do They Really Need a Striker?

gordon celebrating with fermin — Anthony Gordon might just be the new No. 9. | Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Still without a true striker older than 18 years old, Flick had to get creative with his front line, and to his credit, Barcelona didn’t go without goals on Sunday night.

He started captain Raphinha at the No. 9 position, a role the traditional winger rarely plays. Raphinha held down the center of the line nicely—capitalizing from the penalty spot to open the scoresheet in the 15th minute, before dishing a through-ball to Adeyemi for Barcelona’s second. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old looked immediately more comfortable when moved to the right wing, scoring his second of the night just two minutes after the switch was made in the second half.

With Raphinha starting in the center, Adeyemi earned the nod from Flick to start on the left flank. The 24-year-old German attacker, who Barcelona signed from Borussia Dortmund for $25.1 million (€22 million) before add-ons, appeared nerve-wracked in the early moments of the match. He struggled in the run of play, ending the night with just 58% pass accuracy (11 of 19 passes) and made poor decisions in the final third. His nerves were most evidenced by a play that happened in the early moments, breaking through to goal with the ball at his feet, all to seemingly back-heel the ball to a ghost teammate and lose possession.

Adeyemi settled in around the half-hour mark, though, and gave a confident performance thereafter, especially after his goal just before the halftime whistle.

adeyemi celebrating — Adeyemi earned the start on Sunday. | JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty Images

Lamine Yamal held down his post on the right wing but struggled to generate chances. It didn’t really matter though, as Anthony Gordon substituted on in the 65th minute and immediately stamped his name all over the scoresheet.

The marquee English signing, brought over from Newcastle United for a bid worth a whopping $93.2 million (€80 million), is also a traditional winger. He took over the No. 9 position for Raphinha, though, and likewise thrived there. He assisted the Brazilian’s second goal, finding him in Elche’s box less than three minutes after taking the pitch. He added another assist less than five minutes later, unselfishly finding the wide-open Fermín López for Barcelona’s fourth of the night. López scored again in the 89th minute to bring the Catalans to five unanswered.

It was a true team effort on Sunday, and with the—perhaps unexpected—success of Raphinha and Gordon at the No. 9, Barcelona may ditch the idea of doling out millions for a true striker before the transfer window closes on Sept. 1.

With the departures of Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski and the failed negotiations for Atlético Madrid’s Julián Alvarez, it seemed the Catalans would have a giant weak spot on the pitch. Sunday’s scoreline tells a different story.

Barcelona Suffers Another Injury Blow to Midfield

gavi on the ground — Gavi suffered yet another injury setback. | Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Barça midfielder Gavi went down in the 44th minute with an injury, forced off the pitch in the moments before halftime and replaced with Pedri. The pink-haired 22-year-old appeared to be clutching his right knee before walking gingerly off the pitch and straight through the players’ tunnel to see the medic.

Although the Blaugrana have plenty of midfield reinforcements—Pedri provided a solid effort in the second half—the injury blow to Gavi is particularly concerning given the player’s laundry list of ailments. The Spain international has missed around 20 months of action in the past three years, predominantly with severe injuries to the same knee.

He was out for 11 months in the 2023–24 seasons with a right ACL and meniscus tear. He also missed 46 matches last season, from late August to March, due to another meniscus tear in his right knee, which required arthroscopic surgery.

“The injury is the knee. We have to wait,” Flick said post-match. “It’s a little better than he expected when he got injured. After the game was much better. We will make an MRI and see.”

There is no definitive update on Gavi’s status; however, he was seen walking around the pitch after the final whistle.

Barcelona also await a status update on two other midfielders: Frenkie de Jong and Rodri. De Jong is out with a meniscus injury until early October. World Cup champion Rodri had back surgery after the global tournament but is expected to return as soon as this week.

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