It should come as no surprise that Barcelona’s goals for the current season are more ambitious given that the club won La Liga in the previous year. On this particular front, the UEFA Champions League has established itself as their primary objective.

In recent years, the European Championship has left the Blaugranas with a lot of unhappy experiences that they would rather forget. They were eliminated in the group stage in each of the previous two seasons, which was a very embarrassing result.

The team captained by Xavi Hernandez is hoping to advance far into the UCL tournament this time around, and they could not have gotten off to a better start with their campaign.

In the opening match of the UEFA Champions League, which took place Friday night, Barcelona kept up their strong play by defeating Royal Antwerp. The game took place at the Estadi Olimpic de Lluis Companys, and here at Barca Universal, we present you three talking points from the match.

Back to the hour of five

During the previous season, Barcelona was recognized for playing a conservative style of football that resulted in close victories by a score of 1-0. Even if there is nothing inherently wrong with the strategy, it is hardly the kind of football that one would normally associate with Barcelona.

The Catalans got out to a similarly poor start to the 2023-24 season, but they finally broke free of their shaky start over the weekend when they defeated Real Betis.

The team captained by Xavi scored an incredible five goals against Los Verdiblancos on the night in what was, conceptually speaking, their most difficult matchup in the league up to that moment. It was a spectacular performance not just because of the amount of goals scored, but also because of the quality of the buildup and the precision in front of the net.

The five-goal mark was reached again by Barcelona last night for the second game in a row. The Belgians were never able to get going in Montjuic, which resulted in Royal Antwerp failing to make an appearance.

On this particular evening, the home team blitzed three fast goals past Jean Butez, thereby securing the outcome in the first half of play. On the other hand, things could have turned out much worse for the Belgians, as Barcelona missed at least three additional opportunities to score goals during the match.

It is safe to assume that the Barcelona offense is finally finding its groove now that they have scored ten goals in just two games. The style of football that has been played thus far has been a visual feast, and one can only hope that similar performances will continue to pile up.

The life of Felix, a dream come true

We’re off to a flying start. (Image by JOSEP LAGO/AFP and made available by Getty Images))

It was a stroke of good fortune for Joao Felix to start for Barcelona against Real Betis the weekend before last. After all, Xavi was dead set on playing with a four-man central midfield and the only reason he chose the young Portuguese player was because he wanted to give Ilkay Gundogan a rest.

Felix made the most of his opportunity and not only scored a goal but also assisted Robert Lewandowski in getting his second of the evening. After earning man-of-the-match honors in his maiden career start, he was rewarded with a starting role against Royal Antwerp.

Felix’s contribution to Barcelona’s play was crucial for the second time in as many matches, and it came last night. He planned the attack with relative ease, which made it possible for the Catalans to breach the defenses of Royal Antwerp on multiple occasions.

The 23-year-old forward finished the play in a way that was tidy, cool, and collected to score Barcelona’s first goal of the evening. He maneuvered the ball with ease past the last defender and then curled it out of the goalkeeper’s reach before scoring.

After less than ten minutes had passed, the Portuguese prodigy executed a magnificent ball over the top that dismantled the defense of the opposing team and put Lewandowski in position for an easy finish.

Felix’s fantasy night continued on beyond that point. In the second half, the youngster scored once more, this time putting the ball into the back of the net with a header that was expertly played around the goalie.

Felix is having a great start to his career at Barcelona, as he has already racked up three goals and practically two assists in only two starts for the club that he has always dreamed of playing for. At this point, releasing him seems like a ridiculous idea.

The Lewandowski goal that Barcelona did not score

Lewandowski’s play deteriorated dramatically after he got off to a sizzling start for Barcelona in the 2022–2023 season. In spite of the fact that he did not lose the Pichichi award, it is abundantly evident that he was not the same dangerous threat in the last third of the game.

The Polish player’s problems carried over into the beginning of the 2023-24 season, when Barcelona’s first fixtures revealed that he was a shadow of his former self.

On the other hand, an intriguing occurrence occurred when Real Betis was involved.

Because Joao Felix was there to provide an additional body and skillset in attack, Robert Lewandowski was able to get into situations to score goals a lot more readily. Fans were given reason to hope for his return to form as he played well against Manuel Pellegrini’s team, in which he scored one goal and contributed two assists.

In last night’s match against Royal Antwerp, he once again operated as a persistent danger inside the box. With the same kind of effort on another occasion, the former superstar of Bayern Munich might have scored a hat trick instead of only two goals.

He scored Barcelona’s second goal of the match with a volley that was uncomplicated but executed with great timing. Additionally, he was fortunate enough to be the provider of the assist for Gavi’s goal.

If the Polish superstar can maintain his intimidating form in the last third, Barcelona will have a chance to compete for postseason spots this year. After all, it is obvious that the pairing of Felix and Lewandowski has the potential to produce something truly remarkable.