Three goals, three more points for FC Barcelona. On their visit to Martínez Valero, they had to dig a little deeper than expected after missing several chances to put the game to bed early. Still, speaking after the match, Hansi Flick summed it up neatly: “We deserved the three points, and it’s an important win.”

The Barça coach admitted his side created “plenty of chances and need to be more clinical”, acknowledging that the match should have been settled sooner. “We should have won it in the first half, but these things happen sometimes. We played a fantastic game and created lots of opportunities.”

That openness, Flick suggested, was helped by Elche's approach. “When your opponent wants to play football, it’s better for everyone" he commented. "I said before the game that I like watching them.”

Asked about individual performances, Flick was naturally full of praise for Lamine Yamal, on target and a constant threat, and for Frenkie de Jong, who once again dictated proceedings in midfield. “Lamine is still very young and has room to improve and reach another level. He was fantastic today... And De Jong is very important. They defended him one-on-one, which made it hard for him to get on the ball, but he still played a great game.”

The only slight concerns came with knocks to Raphinha and Jules Kounde, though Flick played down the scare, suggesting neither issue looked serious. Time will tell.

For now, though, it’s job done. Another game ticked off, another victory secured, and FC Barcelona remain top of the league.

Força Barça