Marc Bernal is Making Barcelona Pay for Every Day They Delay His Renewal
Marc Bernal scored again, De Jong finally woke up, and Joan García was immense. Barcelona beat Levante but the real story is a contract ticking like a clock.
Barcelona put five past Levante without breaking too much of a sweat, but the real talking points had nothing to do with the scoreline. Hansi Flick’s team selection sent a few messages — and not everyone received them well.
Bernal is Doing Flick’s Dirty Work For Him
Flick shuffled his pack significantly for this one, bringing in Cancelo, Gerard Martín, Lewandowski and Marc Bernal among others. Some of those changes were a gentle nudge. Others were more like a firm shove.
Bernal was the shove. The teenager was handed a start ahead of Marc Casadó — whose form this season has been a pale shadow of last year’s — and within five minutes he’d already put the ball in the net. His second goal in three weeks for the club.
- Frenkie de Jong had scored just two goals in the previous two years (since February 2024, against Mallorca and Valencia)
- Bernal had matched that tally in roughly three weeks
- De Jong, to his credit, clearly clocked the situation — he scored his first goal of the season around the half-hour mark
Nothing like a bit of competition to get the old legs moving, is there? The longer Barça drag their heels on Bernal’s contract renewal, the more leverage the lad’s going to have — and the more it’s going to cost them. Simple as.
Joan García: Doing It Again
There is not a single match going by right now where the Espanyol loanee doesn’t leave his mark. Against Levante he was tested inside the first 30 seconds — literally 23 seconds in, he had to deal with a shot from Carlos Álvarez. Quarter of an hour later, an even trickier effort from Víctor García.
Two crucial saves. Without them, the scoreline could’ve looked very different very early doors. The bloke is just relentless.
Special mention too for Ryan in the Levante goal — his double stop to deny Raphinha and Fermín was genuinely one of the saves of the season. Bit unlucky to end up on the losing side.
Cancelo Needed This
João Cancelo has had a bit of a rough ride lately, with the Barcelona presidential election campaign stirring up chatter about his signing. But deployed on the left flank here, he was lively — whipping in dangerous crosses, hitting the post at one point, and delivering the ball from which De Jong tucked away that first goal of his season. A good night’s work.
Pedri’s Return Gets the Camp Nou Purring
Pedri came on as a substitute for Lewandowski and the Camp Nou absolutely went for it the moment he stepped out to warm up. Everyone knows what he means to this side, and with the Copa del Rey second leg against Atlético and the Champions League last 16 on the horizon, getting him back fit is massive.
Laporta, Talismán
Former president Joan Laporta wasn’t in the directors’ box — he’s not president anymore, so he watched from his regular seat in the stand, keeping a low profile among the supporters. Flick had previously noted that Barça lost the two games Laporta missed entirely (against Atlético and Girona). This time? Another win. Make of that what you will.