Three talking points ahead of Villarreal vs Barcelona | La Liga GW6 | OneFootball

Despite the messages of support and the clarity that Barcelona’s defeat against AS Monaco midweek was not down to a collective failure, the mood in the Blaugrana dressing room is definitely not as positive as it was a week ago.

Looking to make a comeback, Hansi Flick’s men return to action tomorrow at Estadio de la Ceramica, one of Spain’s most daunting stadiums, to take on Villarreal.

The two teams have enjoyed a strong rivalry in recent years with last season seeing two phenomenal games of football between them.

The first time they locked horns last season, Barcelona pulled off a 4-3 comeback win to leave Villarreal gutted. The reverse fixture at Montjuic, however, saw the Yellow Submarine pull off a late comeback and register a 5-3 scoreline over the Catalans.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Villarreal vs Barcelona.

Need to bounce back

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have played like true champions in their La Liga fixtures so far and have been a real force to reckon with.

Featuring in a new 4-2-3-1 dynamic, the front four have looked frightening for the Catalans with 11 goals scored in their last two league games alone.

Barcelona’s honeymoon period, however, came to a sudden halt earlier this week when AS Monaco took them down with a 2-1 scoreline after Eric Garcia’s red card, thus handing Flick’s side their first defeat of the season.

While Barcelona have players like champions on the field, the real test will be seen later tomorrow as they must show the mentality of a champion.

The psychological aspect of sports is not often spoken about, but football more than any sport runs on mental resilience and belief. It is thus not surprising that teams which believe in themselves through thick and thin are the ones that succeed.

It will thus be interesting to see how the new manager rallies his troop after the defeat and what version of the team turns up tomorrow. After all, the mental aspect is one arena that Barcelona have lagged behind in recent years.

All eyes on the goalkeeper

Under the pump. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s defeat against Monaco midweek went down as a game lost because of Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s errors.

If the pressure on the German shot-stopper was not enough, fans have started retaliating against his subpar performances openly after the recent result and rightfully so given his poor numbers for the club in recent years.

Now under more pressure than ever before, the spotlights will shine bright on Ter Stegen who has overseen just one clean sheet in five games for Barcelona in La Liga.

It is still early in the season for the coach to bench the captain and he will have his time to prove his worth again.

Will Ter Stegen pull out a strong display to shut his haters? Or will he only solidify the school of thought that he is not good enough for an elite club? Only time will tell.

Toughest challenge yet

The Blaugrana have not had a simple start to La Liga by any measure for the calendar pitted them against high-quality oppositions from the first matchday.

Starting their campaign away against Valencia, they have had to overcome Athletic Club, Rayo Vallecano and Girona already this season.

Tomorrow’s clash against Villarreal, however, could well be their most difficult challenge yet as the Yellow Submarine have been one of Spain’s most in-form teams this season.

Marcelino’s men are unbeaten so far in the league with three wins and two draws to their name at this stage. They have notably taken three points against Mallorca, Celta Vigo and Sevilla and held draws against Atletico Madrid and Valencia with ten men.

With 11 goals scored so far this season, Villarreal have been on song in attack while their defence has not been as spectacular. Having the home advantage, however, they will fancy their chances against the league leaders.

Flick must thus tweak his tactics to counter the dominant style of football Villarreal have showcased this year for Estadio de la Ceramica is known as one of the most daunting stadiums to play at.