Barcelona thrashed Deportivo Alavés 6-1 at Camp Nou on Saturday and moved back to the top of La Liga, a result that also underlined how Hansi Flick is managing a stretched defence after back-to-back defeats.

The Catalan side had already been knocked back by losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, but this win returned them to the top of the league standings. Barcelona led 4-0 by half-time, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal scoring twice each, while Fermín López and Anthony Gordon also found the net. Mariano Díaz scored Alavés’s only goal.

A fast response after two defeats

The match was played on Saturday in Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium and formed part of the 11th round of the Spanish league. Index.hr reported that Barcelona returned to first place, while Metropoles said the club regained the lead after Atlético Madrid had briefly gone top earlier in the day.

The result mattered because it came immediately after the club’s losses to PSG and Real Madrid. Flick said Barcelona had responded properly and needed to cope with the situation, adding that his team had to get through upcoming matches because of the absences in defence.

He also said the team used a different defensive setup because of defensive absences, and that it had to find alternative solutions during the game. Among them was the idea of asking Frenkie de Jong to play as a centre-back.

Goals, reshuffled roles and a debut

Barcelona’s attack made the adjustment easier. Fermín López set up Raphinha for the opener in the eighth minute, before Yamal and Fermín combined for the second. Raphinha scored again before the break, and Yamal completed the first-half scoring with Barcelona’s fourth goal.

After half-time, Barcelona stayed in control and added two more, with Yamal and Anthony Gordon extending the lead to 6-0 before Mariano Díaz scored for Alavés. Flick said the team felt more confident after the second goal and praised Yamal’s work in one-on-one situations.

The coach also singled out Fermín and Raphinha for strong performances and said he was pleased with the squad’s collective work. Brian Fariñas made his official debut for Barcelona in the match, while Flick said Christensen is close to returning but the club does not want to rush his recovery.

With Barcelona now back on top and the defence still short-handed, the next question is how Flick manages the same balancing act in the matches ahead.