Real Betis 0-5 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points

#2 You can only counter-attack when you can stop the opposition

By hook, line or sinker

Betis had a clear game plan. Run Barcelona ragged, squeeze the possession out of them and hit them hard on the counter.

Their forwards are pacy and they transitioned up the gears with absolutely no qualms. Thomas Vermaelen, in fact, pulled up during one of these moves as he struggled to keep up with the Betis attackers.

The Belgian, who had been having a good run of games and form lately succumbed to an injury and Valverde had to bring in Samuel Umtiti who has almost recovered from his own.

In the second half, Betis sat deep and soaked up the pressure. They were in no mood to afford Barcelona an inch because they knew what travesty lies ahead of them if they did. But once they were torn like a tablecloth, there was no stitching them back on. The goals kept going in.