How Barcelona’s space-eaters Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Fermin Lopez and Raphinha tore Newcastle United apart in the UEFA Champions League

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At Camp Nou on Wednesday night, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal put on an absolute clinic when it comes to positional fluidity and interchange - and how you can use that to tear holes in the defence of your opponents. The opponents in question this time in the UEFA Champions League were Newcastle United, who had no answer for what Barcelona did to them from 2-2 to 6-2.

Highlights: Raphinha, Yamal dazzle as Barca blow Newcastle away

Video credit: TNT Sports

The first half of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League demolition of Newcastle United was one of the most enjoyable halves of football this season.

After snatching a draw at St. James Park the previous week, Barcelona once again found themselves in a fight, as they struggled to contain Newcastle’s brutal transition counter-attacks.

Then, in a space of just over 20 minutes either side of half-time, the Catalans kicked into top gear and ripped their Premier League opponents to shreds.

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Aided by Pedri and Gerard Martin, Barcelona’s fearsome attacking quartet shifted around the pitch with a fluidity that completely bamboozled Newcastle.

Formations are a bit of a misnomer in modern football, but watching the way Robert Lewandowski, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal interchanged was a true joy.

You can see below on the team’s average position map from the game just how close the front four were, near enough all lined up.

Barcelona average position against Newcastle United

Image credit: Opta

But that doesn’t tell the whole story of just how Barcelona stole Newcastle United's souls. Let’s break it down.

Barcelona 3-2 Newcastle – Trademark Yamal to 'baby Muller'

There is no better comparison for Fermin than former Bayern Munich and Germany legend Thomas Muller.

It is not a perfect comparison – as indeed there wasn’t one for Muller when he broke through – but the way Fermin obsessively tries to find these little pockets, whilst not being at the same technical level as his team-mates, is eerie.

The build-up to the penalty that would become the third goal for Barcelona embodies it. Here, Raphinha, Lewandowski and Fermin are all in a line as Yamal drops deep on the right to receive the ball.

Lamine Yamal receives the ball deeper as the others stay high

Image credit: TNT Sports

You can see below, there are three Newcastle players in the space between Yamal and Fermin. It's a tight situation if Barca want to try and create a goal-scoring opportunity.

Fermin makes the run in behind to give Yamal the opening for the pass

Image credit: TNT Sports

So, rather than staying where he is or dropping back to be more central, Fermin attacks the space a right winger would normally be in. That allows Yamal to find him with a trademark outside of the boot pass.

And Yamal finds the pass expertly as Fermin makes the run

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The combination of Yamal's incredible technique and Fermin's innate ability to make the right run creates the space - and that is how they get the latter in behind.

Fermin then plays the ball across first-time after the tiniest of glances. He knows that one of Raphinha or Lewandowski will be where he wants to play the ball.

In this instance, the Brazilian reacts quickest and gets into the six-yard box. Lewandowski is slower and cleverly positions himself for the cutback. Fermin chooses the former, and Kieran Trippier has no option but to make the foul. Penalty.

Yamal receives the ball at 47:46. At 47:51, Trippier drags Raphinha to the floor.

Yamal strikes on stroke of half-time - but is Trippier fortunate not to see red?

Video credit: TNT Sports

Barcelona 4-2 Newcastle – The oldest trick in the book

When teams played with two strikers, the general school of thought was to try and create mismatches, often by using one slightly bigger striker in conjunction with a smaller, faster striker.

When teams moved to either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, the mismatches had to come in other ways, often by using creative, tricky players to make magic in tight spaces, either in the No. 10 position or coming inside from the wing.

More recently, we’ve seen the rise of the line-breakers - midfielders who burst from deep into space vacated by their strikers who come deep themselves or move wider to mess with the positioning of the opposition.

There are few better at this than Lewandowski and Fermin.

Here, Martin picks the ball up from his left-back, Joao Cancelo. He actually doesn’t have a lot on - Pedri and Cancelo are both marked, as is his central defensive partner Pau Cubarsi. Goalkeeper Joan Garcia is the only 'clean' option right now.

Not many options here except a risky pass on Martin's weak foot to Fermin

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He waits and brings the ball up and as he does this, Fermin comes in from the left flank to offer an option, giving Cancelo space to push on.

But now Fermin helps create the space for Cancelo

Image credit: TNT Sports

Rather than clip the ball over the Newcastle player to try and free Cancelo, Martin waits again, so now Fermin spins out and runs in behind, just as Lewandowski comes deep, dragging Dan Burn with him.

Now Martin can see where Fermin is going and passes into Raphinha

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Martin waits just long enough to see Fermin lose Sandro Tonali and fires the ball into Raphinha, who has moved from the left into the No. 10 position.

Tonali is helpless now, and it’s a simple first-time pass from the Brazilian into Fermin, who fires past Aaron Ramsdale to make it 4-2.

Barca 'cut open' Newcastle as Lopez makes no mistake

Video credit: TNT Sports

Barcelona 6-2 Newcastle – Give them the old one-two

At this point the game is practically over. Lewandowski has just scored a simple header from a corner to make it 5-2 and put Barcelona three goals clear.

Even with over 30 minutes to play, it seems unlikely Newcastle are coming back, but the way Barca twist the knife in is glorious (unless you’re a Newcastle fan).

Their sixth goal starts with Raphinha, Lewandowski and Fermin all lined up together as Yamal goes highest and is found on the right.

He loses his one-on-one with Lewis Hall and eventually Burn clears. Barca win it back quickly and recycle it back to Martin again.

Yamal breaks from the line but loses his one-on-one with Hall

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This time Yamal has stayed offside before eventually rejoining play, almost as the centre-forward.

Lewandowski is a bit deeper and wider here as Yamal works back into the CF spot

Image credit: Getty Images

Lewandowski has dropped into the left half-space with Fermin and Raphinha trying to create an overload on the right.

So now Yamal comes deep from the striker spot to receive the ball off Martin. Look at him, he can see what will happen. He's screaming for it.

"Gerard, give me the ball!"

Image credit: Getty Images

He then sells Burn with a wonderful fake and turns into the space vacated by Lewandowski, who is now bursting into the space that Yamal and Burn have left open.

After the turn on Burn Lewandowski has the space to run in to

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Yamal finds Lewandowski and Malick Thiaw is completely exposed. His best bet is to try to intercept the pass before it reaches Lewandowski, but he fails to do so, and the Pole does the rest.

Three different goals, three not especially complex goals, but three goals perfectly executed by true masters of their craft. Newcastle had no answer.

Yamal magic creates Barca SIXTH as Lewandowski scores again

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Bonus: Barcelona 1-0 Newcastle – Overloads are fun

This goal didn’t necessarily have the impact that the others did, but it’s still worth talking about.

Newcastle lose the ball from a long Aaron Ramsdale kick and Barca play it back to Garcia.

As the back of Barcelona’s team build up again, Yamal and Raphinha both come inside, actually onto the opposite sides to which they started the game on.

Yamal produces another silky turn and fires the ball into Raphinha, who is now alongside Lewandowski, almost as the second striker, but the Brazilian fails to control the pass and it gets away from him.

Here you can see Lewandowski and Raphinha alongside each other, with Fermin out on the right and Yamal deeper.

Image credit: TNT Sports

However, all is not lost because Fermin has attacked into the right half-space where Yamal might have been, and he cleans up by tapping the ball back to Raphinha first time.

Raphinha then takes a touch and slots home. Yamal receives the ball at 5:01. The clock reads 5:10 when the ball hits the back of the Newcastle net.

Raphinha gives Barca opener with 'magnificent' finish after Hall slip

Video credit: TNT Sports

Again, none of this is necessarily new or complicated. We have seen similar patterns from Hansi Flick when he was the Bayern Munich manager. And yes, some of Newcastle’s defending left a little to be desired at times.

But the surgical precision with which Barcelona’s front four, aided by those behind them, can cut through a team is absolutely terrifying.

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