NEWCASTLE 1-2 BARCELONA - MARCUS RASHFORD'S MAGIC, PEDRI'S GENIUS, HANSI FLICK'S IMPACT!

Hello and welcome here to TalkFCB and welcome back to the channel guys and boy I bet you're smiling right now I bet you are on top of the world because last night it was fantastic you know I thoroughly enjoyed the whole game you know the occasion the atmosphere was absolutely amazing these are the kind of European games you want to be involved in and of course it's even better if you emerge on the winning side and we did that we battled hard and what can we learn from this performance not only in the here and now but looking ahead at the Champions League what can we take away now from this away performance from Brosser we're going to be talking about the standout displays Pedry was heroic yet again in midfield the midfield as a whole was outstanding the defensive line we're going to be talking about and of course the match winner Marcus Rashford wow unbelievable goals from him and not only him because coming up today we also have to discuss Ansu Fati he returned to the score sheet last night for Monaco and it was all good everything right now is going nicely at Barca what a time it is and so let's get to it come on and it really is quite an extraordinary day here because actually I've also uploaded over on more TalkFCB I mean I know it's absolutely extraordinary even more reaction to this Barca Newcastle game guys so go ahead and check that out after of course you've taken a good look at this one and I also want to say a big thank you here for the super thanks coming in it says listen closely around the 64th minute you can hear Barca fans singing their song and you can hear it at St James's Park and yeah I would just say guys you know the atmosphere before the game the atmosphere throughout the first half unbelievable Newcastle fans they were absolutely extraordinary but look how well we handled that and look at the way that we quietened that crowd I mean a team coming here and quietening those supporters that is impressive in itself and that is what we were able to do I certainly did hear the Barca fans at several points in that second half singing loud and proud and boy was that nice boy was that special to make sure we put our stamp on this particular game but can we start and go can we start by talking here about Joan Garcia because can we also remember what happened one year ago can we look back at our first Champions League game last season against Monaco actually and in the opening minutes of that Champions League campaign everything fell apart you know what we saw we saw nervousness at the back we saw indecisiveness we saw individual mistakes and it was the worst possible way to kick off our campaign in the Champions League now look at last night look at the way this goalkeeper commands his area he is in control of everything I love his confidence he is so assured in himself when this cross is flying in as this certainly was yesterday you know he's gonna deal with it and for us as Barca fans right now we can feel confident again you know to think okay he's got us covered you know he is gonna save what comes his way shots on goal he has got this and the save that Joan Garcia pulled off from Harvey Barnes I mean that was extraordinary that was a match defining moment right there in the first half Newcastle were on the up the crowd was certainly with them that would have absolutely changed the game what a save what a moment for him and I've just been so impressed with all areas of his game even his distribution yesterday I mean he looked so comfortable Newcastle were pressing high they were really putting the pressure on but he just looks so confident so assured and even his long throw right there in the first half it sets Rashford away his distribution and with his feet as well has been so so impressive and Flick said like the whole team he is fantastic he was absolutely fantastic last night on his Champions League debut do not forget and Flick said to have him in goal for us is unbelievable he's so fast he anticipates everything and for me I am so so happy with him and Flick does seem as though he's just thinking this is a great signing this is a great step in the right direction something we didn't have last season we've added massive quality to the goal keeping department at this club and I'm so happy I'm so thankful that we have Joan Garcia as our number one however guys speaking about looking back and sort of learning from previous games and previous experiences in the Champions League you know looking at the one game last season you know the two of them really in the semi-final against Inter where it all fell apart for us you know that's what we need to learn from that's how we need to improve it's a game that we should have overcome we still feel as though we should have been in that final and what went wrong there because I would just look at last night's game and say actually are we learning you know are we growing are we evolving here as a team because there were moments last night and if you look here at the comparison in terms of where we were set up were there not moments for you where Barca just dropped off a little bit you know obviously we still had that high line of course we're still going to play with that handsy Flick identity and the philosophy we're never going to abandon that we don't want to but there are just moments in games where you can adapt to the circumstances to what's going on around you there you've got to be able to adapt in game you know it's about game management at the top level and I just think last night you know the fullbacks maybe were a little bit more cautious at times the line retreated a little bit to defend a little bit deeper and I just thought it was a lot more mature from Barca that's the way that I would say and certainly that in the latter stages of the game if you look at when Newcastle got the equalizer the added time that was much improved you know think about it with Inter it was erratic at times we were still trying to score more and more and more goals when actually just take a step back you know give it to players there who could hold the ball who could hold on to it who could protect it and you look at the way that Pedri was orchestrating things there when we had to hold on to the ball he is an absolute master in those situations you know nobody nothing was going to take it away from him and I think we do forget at times you know it's a young Barcelona team a lot of these players hadn't had a lot of experience at the business end of the Champions League thinking about last season in the semi-finals against Inter you know we at Barca hadn't been there as often as we'd like over the past few years so I think what we're going to see here is an evolution we are going to see players learning we are going to see players gaining experience and ultimately handling big moments better that is what we saw yesterday it was a tough crowd it was a really fierce atmosphere to perform in and to feel very very much pressured but we evaded it we got around it we made smart decisions and ultimately we came out on top something else that I would also add about the performance yesterday was actually who was missing in this team you know we can't forget that we were without Balde we were without Gavi you know big big players there that we didn't have and of course Lamine Yamal was not available through injury and I would just say here I think it's important for the whole team and actually Yamal himself too that we are showing that we can win without him I think that's a very very important thing here because number one we don't want to feel as though we are fully dependent on Yamal you know we don't want to have to play him every minute of every game all the time they're overburdening him and putting so much pressure on his shoulders and I think for Barca here you know as a team and for individuals who were out there yesterday they've got to believe too they can step up you know it's not just about Yamal it's not just about one player at Barca this is about the team and they showed last night there's real character in there and there's real quality and there are players who can step up when there are absences in this team and I also look at it from this point of view when Yamal does come back if we continue to win without him if we continue to show teams that yeah we're not just about one player we have several different threats too it just puts some doubt in the mind of our opposition because I think before you know we are starting to see Yamal receiving the ball all the time we are starting to see him surrounded by two three four players you know all the pressure all of the attention was on Yamal but I just think here if we just remind everybody we've got so many threats you know we've got so many different options here at Barca it will help him as well he might get a little bit more freedom just a tiny bit more space when he does return to do his thing as well so I think it's good for the team it's good for Yamal it's good for everybody here that Barca are just showing we've got quality we've got talent we are Barca and no matter what is in our way no matter what absences we have we can win these games because well speaking about players stepping up speaking about quality and showing that quality we have to talk about Pedri and we're going to talk about De Jong as well they were so so incredible as a duo we have to acknowledge that but let me just talk about Pedri here because I've got to say before the game I was hearing you know obviously being here in the UK here a lot of the media a lot of people talking about you know what's going to happen when Barca into town and I was hearing things like oh you know Joe Linton in midfield for Newcastle he's such a physical presence there he's going to enforce himself on this Barca midfield and ultimately we were hearing things like oh Joe Linton he's just going to smash Pedri you know he's going to take him out the game he's going to make sure there that he's going to bruise him a little bit and just sort of make him a bit scared of what Newcastle are going to bring well how did that go how does that ever go because Barca when they arrive here and they've got players like they're not scared of what you're going to bring to them they're not even thinking about what they're coming up against they know what they can do they have the confidence that when they receive those balls they can do whatever they want with it and that's what we saw from Pedri yesterday he was in control everybody was chasing him they were chasing his shadow in yesterday's game and yeah it wasn't just about Pedri because Frankie and Pedri as a duo they dominated Newcastle Newcastle could not get that ball back there was no chance of it you know every single time the ball was played in there to either Frankie or Pedri Newcastle would press they try and swarm around them and they find their way out every single time and that is why you know on social media we saw players there Jack Grealish came out he actually posted that Pedri and Frankie de Jong they are a joy to watch these are players who have no connection with Barca at all but they are just in awe of what these players are doing Paul Sculls now speaking about midfielders he knows a thing or two about a great midfielder he says my new favorite footballer it's Pedri and like I say people are recognizing the genius out there they are recognizing the quality that we have and the midfield was just so so special but also guys it's not just about the technical ability of these Barcelona players either because let's talk about the physical nature of not only what we saw from midfield but I thought the defensive line they were incredible you know they really did take the game there to those Newcastle attacking players they battled for every ball it was a real show of strength in my opinion from that Barca back line I think each of them really did play their part very very well and I thought it was funny after the game actually the Hansi flick was asked were you surprised by how Barca sort of handled themselves physically against Newcastle and again there's this tendency maybe in England that yeah Barca they're not going to be at it physically they're not going to be able to match the sort of characteristics that Newcastle and teams like them can bring to games flick said though uh no I wasn't surprised he said we work hard and he gave an example there about Frank De Jong he said he was out for 10 days with an injury tonight he played 90 minutes and look at him look at the quality look at the way that he was able to impose himself and flick said I've got a fantastic team around me there in terms of the physical approach and physical conditioning that we're seeing at Barca he said you see that on the pitch the players they are fit and that is why right now it's not just about what we can do with the ball it's not just about the talent and the quality that we know Barcelona players are going to have what flick has added is the physical element the ability to go toe-to-toe with any team who comes our way physically we will not be beaten and we have enough technical quality to really really hurt teams because well speaking about that match winning quality we have to talk about Marcus Rashford and we have to talk about him in some detail because I still can't believe it I still cannot believe that second goal there the way that he just takes it past his man has a little look up and Rashford actually said after the game I saw the far post I noticed an opening there in that area and that's when you realize you know these players they are unreal what they are able to do the things that they are able to see and sort of notice in a split second in his next level you know the talent they possess is extraordinary and he put it exactly there you know he had a little look up he saw the opening saw the gap and he struck it absolutely perfectly it was a rocket it was a sensational second goal but I really like the first goal as well and I thought it was interesting after the game actually that Hansi Flick speaking there about that first goal he said it's great that Rashford was in the box you know it's great there that he was in that kind of position taking up a central area getting on the end of a ball like that that is what we want to see and I think Flick wants to see Rashford taking up those kinds of areas even if he is starting over on the left hand side we know that these Barca attacking players they've got the license to roam they've got the license there to take up central positions to make runs into the penalty area and I think Flick recognizes here there's so much in Rashford's game that can help Barca that can add there to the goals in our attacking line and I just thought it was so nice to see Rashford yesterday with a smile on his face because you know how hard he's worked for this he first of all waited such a long time for this opportunity to even come his way he's wanted to join Barca now for ages he finally got that chance in the summer and since then there's been pressure on him there's been lots of talk in the media as you'd expect surrounding him there's been criticism of course to go with all of that but just look at the way that he performed just look at the way that last night can be for him that starting point you know this is it now you're here you're wearing that Barca shirt the fans are chanting your name and there was an absolutely beautiful moment actually after the game in the interview that he did with TNT Sport he was actually there being interviewed and as he was you could hear the Barca away fans they were still inside of the stadium and they were chanting his name and again the smile the beaming smile on his face and it's not just like oh i'm happy i'm the man that scored the two goals i'm the match winner here i'm so so happy for me me me all that he talked about in that interview by the way was the team was Hansi Flick was his teammates how much he's enjoying this Barcelona experience he barely spoke about his own performance his own goals he just wants to be a success here and for us fans you know to see somebody like this is coming to our club and he's so desperate so desperate to make that impact and the goals that he was able to score last night it was amazing and he was lively he really really was lively i mean if you look at his his output in terms of the attack in play here he had the most touches of any player in the opposition box he had more dribbles than any other player he had more attempts on goal than any other player i mean he was somebody looking to make that impact and Flick said after the game am i surprised by that i'm not surprised he's a fantastic player he is a great talent his finishing is unbelievable he said at halftime i said to him please Marcus score two goals he said no on that i'm joking you know it didn't quite go like that but he said look he is a very very important player for us Flick said in the first half he had good dribbles he tried to create chances but the finishing wasn't quite there but in the second half it was different and for a striker it is always good to score goals i was really happy there like i say that he was in the box to score from that cross for the opener and he said Deco and i spoke before the season about what we needed about the kind of players that we needed to add to this squad and Flick said i told Deco i need him he is the player he's the kind of player that we needed this team i want Rashford and i'm so happy that he is here with me at Barcelona so Flick was a massive part in bringing him here in adding him to his team and i said before the game here that Rashford is a bit of a project for Hansi Flick you know that's what we're hearing in the media here that he's enjoying the challenge of getting the best out of him of extracting all of that talent and i think the most important quote here from Hansi Flick it was this one he said for me this is the first step and now he's got to make the next one he said these two goals here in England against Newcastle in the Champions League for Barcelona it's great for him because it makes him believe again it gives him the confidence to believe in himself and this is the most important thing that now he can say okay i can show that i'm a fantastic player but what you can hear from that quote is this is only the beginning Flick wants more from him Flick wants more of these kinds of displays because he knows what he's capable of and i'm incredibly excited to see how Rashford continues to grow to develop these are still early days at the club to do this very very early on you need that statement game when you come to Barca when people are talking about you maybe they're a little bit skeptical of you you need that statement display that makes everybody stand up and sit up and say okay you've arrived now that was what that was from Rashford those are the moments that you come in and you stand up for and you deliver he did that last night and long may it continue but yeah guys speaking here about players who are looking to recapture their confidence players who are looking to get back to the level that we know that they can produce well it would be unfair of me here not to talk about as well Ansu Fati because yesterday last night of course Barca were doing their own thing but he came on to make his Monaco debut his first half an hour there in a Monaco shirt in what was a very difficult night actually for Monaco in the Champions League they were three nil down when Ansu Fati came on against Club Rouge that then quickly became four nil but in the 91st minute of the game Ansu Fati scored he has now his first Monaco goal and it's in the Champions League again and I've got to say it's the kind of goal that we were used to seeing from Ansu Fati you know the ball comes to him he demands it he wants it he didn't have a lot of time you know not too much time to think about it to get the shot away but he just drills it home it was a really nice good goal there and that just made my day yesterday that just completed everything it was an amazing display and what I hope for him now is that he can also build on this you know we know that Monaco have really taken their time with him you know he's only just making his debut they've been very very slow to introduce him they've been really managing him very very carefully maybe that's exactly what he needed and clearly they have a plan for him and I'm excited to see more of him over the coming weeks I hope that he can follow up and he can back this goal up with many many more and just play regular football that would bring a big big smile to my face too and really right now things are good we as Barca fans can be very very happy and there's no greater feeling is there absolutely not there's no greater feeling than when we are all here together part of this community all of you from all corners of the world and we're just so happy we're delighted with what we are seeing let's keep this going guys let's keep this momentum building the confidence right now and I'm just so happy with that win so please do let me know in the comments down below what are your takeaways you know what did you learn from yesterday's game are you seeing a team right now who are improving who are learning from last season's experiences please also do check out the content over on moretalkfcb2 and I thank you indeed for your amazing support right here it really does warm my heart and I will see you all soon because tomorrow we've got the Hitafe preview coming on the channel we're not stopping no chance at all of that thank you indeed guys but until next time yeah as always Vesca El Barca