Three talking points from Elche 0-5 Barcelona as title defence begins with huge win
Barcelona secured a dominant 5-0 victory against Elche in their 2026/27 La Liga opener. The match featured a strong performance from youngster Xavi Espart, while concerns were raised regarding Gavi's form and injury-prone style of play.
Why it matters
It provides an early-season assessment of Barcelona's squad depth and tactical direction under Hansi Flick.
A week behind many of the other teams in La Liga, Barcelona began their 2026/27 campaign at Elche's Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero and ran away with a big win.
Let's take a look at three talking points from Sunday night's game…
In what was a much-changed starting XI from Hansi Flick, it was good to see players like Xavi Espart given a chance to stake a claim.
The 19-year-old certainly did his chances no harm with a solid and effective performance throughout.
His tigerishness in the tackle helped Barca to win back possession, leading to Raphinha 's penalty, while his positional sense and confidence in his passing game were a real feature.
There will be tougher games, of course, though the youngster did everything asked of him.
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