Article by Andrei Niculescu – published on Sunday, August 17, 2025, 13:42 / Updated on Sunday, August 17, 2025 13:46
“Flicky-flake”. This is the last find of the Catalan press, to define the football offered by FC Barcelona.
The same press that had long taken out of the drawers and the concept “Tiki-Taka” (appeared in the early 1970s, when Bilbao won the title with Javier Clements and when the beaches of Spain had been filled with those small wooden pallets, which were exactly this sound, “Tiki, Taka, Tiki”).
The find is inspired, to recognize, because the style of today's Barcelona is one of the author, of the German technician more precisely. And it is the style that everyone considers, along with that of Luis Enrique and his PSG, the most attractive, the most pleasant eye in Europe.
A style that everyone would want to copy now, but the most obviously counteract. And that we were all curious to see with the start of the new season in La Liga.
Because, it is clear, today's Barcelona looks much better than Barcelona a year ago, at the lot level I speak at the level of the large players, in front of the Yamal lamina, which was not the same caliber last summer.
It is only enough to note the reserves of Hansi Flick at Palma de Mallorca, Rashford, Olmo, Gavi, Kunde, Christensen, Plus Lewandowski left at home to get a musculature that he says is like 30, but which, clearly, is 37, as it will be on Thursday. Finally, Lewa is not the discussion but the differences of today's Barcelona compared to the last 12 months.
Which Barcelona also had a “pretense” of the manual. It is difficult to find a summer in which his players had so many holidays and the coach could have used everyone from the first friendly match.
And the way the Catalans started in the new season gave enough arguments to those who think there will be a clear advantage over Real Madrid and Atletico, whose preparations, for reasons of the club world, were not as coherent.
When I talk about startup I mean the first 20 minutes of the match with Mallorca, because for what happened later, no characterization can be made. However, the first 20 minutes can be relevant, including what we should expect from Lamine Yamal this season, because the number 10 recently received seems to have changed his prospects, and to the opponents the degree of intimidation.
Further to the 20th minute we can analyze anything. Because that 2-0 goal turned the match into a chore including for Catalans, easily embarrassed to go with an opponent left in 9 people on the heat. A goal of 2-0 perfectly legal, let's understand each other, but I do not know exactly how moral, even though Ferran Torres was not too much to do, if to enjoy it or not.
And here is the fault of the referee, who left the fish tail phase, because, in one, if he was perfectly convinced that he had no reason to stop the game, being very close to the phase, he had to show this explicitly, but it is also the fault of the host team, who did not find out that the game stops only when the arbitrator whistles.
So we have to wait for the following matches of Barcelona to see what and how. For now, “Flicky-Flacka” remains in a stand-by variety, but the 20 minutes of Saturday debut offer a first set of arguments.
Mallorca – Barcelona, in stage 1 of La Liga. Photo: Getty Images
Salah's tears and Liverpool summer
Who had a doubt that the summer of Liverpool was not even a quiet one I think could be convinced at the end of the match on Friday night, won by “cormorants” with 4-2 in front of a Bournemouth who lost almost all the defense. And I mean here at the time of liberation of Salah, the tears that he could not retain, standing in front of the lawn and listening to the songs for Diogo Jota.
It was a crying cry, not just some hidden tears, and the Egyptian, as the main star of the team, I think he gathered in him all the feelings of the locker room.
Including Arne Slot, who recognized at the end how hard it was when, from 2-0 was done 2-2 and looked at the reserve bank. “It is clear who I would have sent to the field, right?”, The Dutchman explained.
In other news, Liverpool was in the situation of Barcelona, which I exposed above. Everyone wanted to see what the champion of England looks like, until now, the champion of transfers. To be shown it looks good in the sense of entertainment that will exist at his matches, but some question marks on the defensive area have already appeared.
This 4-2-3-1, can be conditioned by Gravenberch's absence, but also of Slot's desire to fight all the new ones, seems a little risky.
As for the role of Savior that Federico Chiesa had, this is part of the football anecdotes, because the future of the Italian is more than “Anfield”.
Is City “back in business”?
Is Manchester City “Back in business”? I think it's a question I ask a lot after this 4-0 beginning of Guardiola's team on Wolwerhampton's field.
A city that bookmakers and supercomputers see only with the third chance in the title fight. I think it's not too vexed by this thing, and I really think this second line in which it is placed.
City is still a team under construction, because Guardiola did not have 3 indisputable holders on Saturday, Rodri, Fodden and Gvardiol, who do not think they will be missing too often after they are recovered, plus, from those sent to the field, some, Oscar Bobb or Rico Lewis are in negotiations to leave, and others have not left,
City can be “back in business” and can have another position in the title calculations if the transfer is talking about, Rodrygo from Real Madrid, materializes. If he brings the Brazilian, Pep gives the blow and can have other arguments.
