Barcelona Vs Valencia: Hansi Flick Praises Barca's Commitment After 7-1 Victory

Hansi Flick hailed Barcelona's commitment as they ended their four-match winless streak in LaLiga with a 7-1 hammering of Valencia. (More Sports News)

Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez all scored in the first half, with the latter twice hitting the back of the n♊et to put Barcelona in control before Robert Lewandowski and an own goal from Cesar Tarrega rounded off the demolition.

🐻Barcelona scored four goals before the 24th minute of a LaLiga match (De Jong 3', Torres 8', Raphinha 14' and Fermin 24') for the first time since October 2008 against Almeria, also at home. It was also the first time they held a five-goal half-time lead since April 2015 against Getafe at home in LaLiga.

Flick was deꦆlighted with how his side bounced back after their r🧸ecent run and stressed the importance of his squad depth.

"The players 🦄showed fresh legs. They were in the game and did a great job. I liked my team's performance," Flick told a news conference.

"It's notꦆ a problem for me to have so many quality🐟 players to choose from. It's good.

"Everyone was im🍃peccable and very committed throughout the game."

After 14 goals and five assists in 67 games, Fermin scored and assisted for the first time in a sin💧gle game for Barcelona in all competitions.

He is just the second Barcelona player to be involved in three goals befo💙re half-time (two goals and one assist) in a game this season, after Robert Lewandowski's hat-trick in 32 minutes last October at Deportivo Alaves.

Flick hailed Fermin, whose brace an🍰d two assists were key to the win, saying: "He played a fa🍰ntastic game, he was very good on the ball, and he finished very well."

The German also praised Wojciech Szczesny after the Polish goalkeeper was again preferred to Inaki Pena after also starting in their stunning 5-4 win at Benfica that booked th🌼eir place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Szczesny played his first LaꦐLiga game as a starter, his fifth in all competitions for Barcelona. With this win, the Pole is the goalkeeper in the top 5 European Leagues with the most starting games with a 100% winning record (five).

"It is a difficult situation for Inaki Pena," admitted Flick. "We always compare what Inaki or Szczesny bring to the ꦰtable. It's not a debate, they're 🌸both good. It's a feeling... and we have to make a decision. I think it was right for him to play."

Barcelona next face Atalanta in the 🃏final match of the league phase of the Champions League on Wednesday, with their a🔴utomatic qualification spot already sealed, and host Alaves in LaLiga on Sunday.