Barcelona summer signing sends strong message to Flick with performance vs Racing

Barcelona summer signing sends strong message to Flick with performance vs Racing Barcelona secured their biggest victory of the season this week against Racing Santander, winning 7-2 at the Spotify Camp Nou. A hat-trick from Raphinha, a brace from Joao Cancelo and goals from Lamine Yamal and Gabriel Jesus helped Flick’s side maintain their perfect start to the season . Cancelo, in particular, had a game to remember and has given Hansi Flick exactly the kind of selection headache a Barcelona coach wants by scoring two outrageous goals last night, reports AS . After watching Xavi Espart establish himself at full-back during the opening weeks of the season, the Portuguese defender finally received his first La Liga start against Racing. The veteran full-back’s brace in Barcelona’s 7-2 victory was the first of his professional career. More importantly for his immediate future, it was a statement performance at a moment when Espart had seemingly made the position his own. Cancelo responds to Espart’s emergence Espart started Barcelona’s first five league matches and became one of the surprise stories of the season. The youngster’s performances were so convincing that an experienced player of Cancelo’s quality had been left waiting. Joao Cancelo was unstoppable against Racing. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Cancelo certainly made that wait count. His first goal came from a curling effort that struck the crossbar before going in. He then scored another long-range effort to complete his brace. Cancelo became the first Barça defender since Sergi Roberto against Almeria in December 2023 to score twice in the same La Liga game. Flick now has a real decision Flick was one of the strongest supporters of Cancelo returning to Barcelona, having valued his performances last season and the tactical flexibility he provides. The Portuguese defender can play on either side, move into midfield areas and contribute significantly in attack. Against Racing, he provided a reminder of those qualities. However, Espart has done nothing to deserve losing his place. The youngster has added another dimension to this Barça team with his technical security. Joao Cancelo and Xavi Espart are going toe-to-toe for the left-back spot. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) That is what makes this battle so interesting, even without discussing Alejandro Balde. Even the Spaniard managed to leave an impression with his cameo last night. Cancelo’s experience and attacking quality make him extremely difficult to overlook. Espart, meanwhile, has earned Flick’s trust through consistency rather than reputation. Barcelona should resist viewing this as a problem requiring one permanent winner. The schedule will create opportunities for both, and their contrasting qualities can be useful against different opponents. Cancelo gave Flick the perfect kind of headache, and it remains to be seen how the German goes about rotating minutes between his full-back options.