Three takeaways from Athletic Club 0-3 Barcelona | OneFootball

Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 win over Athletic Club on Sunday night in their final game of the season at San Mames.

Robert Lewandowski’s brace early in the first half gave Barcelona the lead against the run of play, and the Basque side simply could not gain control over the proceedings once the Catalans were gifted the head start.

Eventually, a Dani Olmo penalty in stoppage time made it 3-0 for the club as they crossed the 100-goal mark in La Liga and concluded their campaign four points above Real Madrid.

The game was a special one in many ways, for it marked the end of what has been a stupendous season. Additionally, however, it was the last time in a Barcelona shirt for some players although their identities are still unknown.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points from Athletic Club 0-3 Barcelona.

Ending on a high

Barcelona’s title celebrations last weekend understandably saw the team turn up slightly sub-par against Villarreal in their final game at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Hansi Flick’s men fell short on the night and dropped three points, although it made no real difference to their campaign for the title was already in the bag.

For a season that has been so special for the club, however, it was always clear that the team deserved a better and more resounding way to sign off and that was exactly what they did against Athletic Club last night.

Ernesto Valverde’s men have been in tremendous form this season and finished the campaign fourth on the standings only behind the big three.

To put three goals comfortably past them while not firing on all cylinders, needless to say, perfectly encompasses how lethal the team have been in attack all season.

What made the night more special was the clean sheet that Barcelona maintained despite the threat of Nico Williams and Inaki Willians – one that is even more special because they did it without Inigo Martinez on the field.

Gavi returns to his best

Signing off on a high. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Most of Hansi Flick’s players have over-delivered compared to what was expected of them this season and the overall improvement in level is indeed a testament to the manager’s abilities.

One player who generated some criticism in recent months and even dropped out of the starting XI to play a fringe role, however, was Gavi.

Having recovered from his ACL blow only midway through the season, the midfielder understandably was used very cautiously by the manager. He did show promise on some occasions but was overall still away from his best version.

Last night, however, the vintage Gavi turned up and showed exactly where he fits in the manager’s plans and thus ended the season with a performance that will get Flick thinking about how to incorporate him into the setup.

The German coach initially saw Gavi as an attacking midfielder, but his performance last night as part of the double-pivot with Pedri was phenomenal and an indicator that he can play in that position come next season.

In 90 minutes against the Basque side, he completed 119 touches, 97% of his passes, completed two dribbles, and won a staggering 16 of 18 ground duels attempted.

With the vintage Gavi back, it will be interesting to see where the manager fits him into his dynamics in pre-season.

The curtains close

The 2024-25 season has simply flown by for Barcelona and that is a clear-cut indicator of what a special year it has been.

Hansi Flick’s arrival and the manner in which he transformed the team into an attacking monster was not something many pundits anticipated, but it now appears that the Flick-Barcelona connection is a match made in heaven.

The campaign has given the team and fans so many reasons to celebrate – right from the big Champions League nights to the title-conquering runs in La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Copa del Rey.

It all finally came to a close last night with Barcelona walking off the field one last time this season at San Mames.

All in all, Barcelona can feel mighty proud of the football, mentality, and personality they have shown all season. Had a few minutes gone differently, they would have another game to play at the weekend but fate has it to wait for another season.

With the club not participating in the FIFA Club World Cup, the dressing room will now head into some much-needed vacations before returning to international duty. For the non-internationals, pre-season will begin only after seven weeks.