Fermin Lopez’s masterclass vs Valencia broken down: The numbers | OneFootball

Fermin Lopez was crowned the man-of-the-match for Barcelona last night in the team’s 7-1 humbling of Valencia, and rightfully so as he was the single most impactful player in the final third for the Blaugrana.

Entering the starting lineup as part of the manager’s regular rotations, the La Masia graduate starred in the attacking midfield role and made the most of his minutes in what will be a massive confidence boost for him.

After all, the player was struggling for form so far this season and had looked like a shadow of his former self.

The numbers speak

Lopez’s numbers against Valencia last night are simply off the charts and put into perspective what a gargantuan role he played in Barcelona’s win across multiple departments.

For starters, the youngster scored twice for the hosts on the night in the first half, netting the fourth and fifth goals with well-worked finishes. Shockingly, his two goals came from his only two shots on the night.

Fermin put up his best display of the season. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Concurrently, Fermin also racked up two assists on the night – one for Raphinha in the first half and the other a beauty to tee up with Robert Lewandowski in the second period.

In addition to his direct contributions to goals, the midfielder created three chances for the team, provided the most passes in the final third at 23 and completed four of his six attempted dribbles against Valencia.

If his numbers in attack were not promising enough, he was also the player who recovered the most balls alongside Alejandro Bade with 10 recoveries and even won two air duels during the game.

The 21-year-old’s performance was thus a statement to the manager that he is well and truly back to his best and it remains to be seen how much prominence he enjoys under Flick with Dani Olmo and Gavi also competing for a similar niche.