A few eyebrows were raised when Barcelona’s line-up to face Atletico Madrid in the second leg of a Copa del Rey semi-final was released on Wednesday evening.
In one of the most important games of their season, a match that could grant Barca a ticket to perhaps their only major final of it, Hansi Flick had given Ferran Torres the nod to start up front. That meant the team’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, was on the bench.
It was a bold move but, not for the first time this season, Flick’s gamble paid off. In the 27th minute, Torres saw Lamine Yamal in possession of the ball and timed a perfect run behind Atletico’s centre-backs, Jose Gimenez and Robin Le Normand. Yamal’s outrageous pass put the 25-year-old striker clean through against goalkeeper Juan Musso.
In previous seasons, Torres may have overthought which way he should finish the chance and wasted it. This time, he was clinical: a subtle flick of the ball sent it past Musso and into the net.
It was enough to secure victory on the night and a 5-4 aggregate win over the two legs, and underlined that there isn’t another backup striker in the world in such form.
Torres was quick to pay tribute to Yamal afterwards.
“Christ, Lamine,” he said to Spanish broadcaster Movistar. “He makes some passes that you just need to tap the ball in!”
Yet his own contribution should not be downplayed. According to Opta, of all the players with 10 or more goals in the big five European leagues this season, Torres needs the fewest minutes to score. He has 16 of them in 1,292 minutes across all competitions — a ratio of one every 81 minutes.
Flick had decided Torres was going to start at the Metropolitano stadium several days ago. Besides the outstanding form the young Spaniard has shown in recent weeks, he’s had a special connection with the Copa del Rey this season.
He now has five goals in four appearances in the competition’s 2024-25 edition — tied with Atletico’s Julian Alvarez and Real Madrid’s Endrick as its top scorer. It was a Torres hat-trick against Valencia in February that propelled Barca into this semi-final.
Over the past week, Flick talked to Lewandowski to tell him he was considering giving Torres a start in this game. With the Champions League quarter-finals starting next week (Barca are at home against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday) and a heated title race ongoing, this seemed a natural moment for the 36-year-old to get a breather, while also rewarding Torres’ fine form. Lewandowski had no problem with the manager’s choice.
“I am so happy to see them both scoring goals,” said Flick after the game. “Ferran deserved to play tonight because he helped us a lot in this competition. We will probably see another No 9 playing on the weekend (against Real Betis), but at the minute, any player that we use on the pitch responds at a great level.”
After what happened at the Metropolitano, all we can expect is Torres to be the starter in Seville’s La Cartuja stadium on April 26, when Barcelona face Real Madrid in the final.
After over three years at the club, Torres might not be the type of player Barca fans expected when they paid Manchester City €55million (£46m/$61m at current exchange rates) for his services. He has not been a creative attacking force, the player to lead Spain’s next great generation, nor a striker to define an era at the club.
This has taken a toll on Torres himself, who has had to accept and learn his role. Yet his ruthlessness is appreciated by his team-mates, who have given him the nickname El Tiburon (‘The Shark’).
“In my mind, I’m really calm,“ Torres said two weeks ago, while on international duty with Spain. “This is what I call the ‘shark mentality’. There will always be complicated moments, but you need to keep working and being disciplined. Then, any reward will come.
“Recently, I’ve felt more comfortable playing as a No 9. It is where I think I’m playing my best football, but the fact I can also operate from the wing is good.”
Barcelona do still want to add a striker in this summer’s transfer window. Ideally, the club’s decision-makers would like a new addition who could operate from the left-hand side but also provide cover behind, and serve as a long-term replacement for, Lewandowski, who is on course to be in the final year of his contract next season.
Names such as Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak and Luis Diaz of Liverpool are high up on the list of sporting director Deco, but none of them is expected to be available this year at an affordable price.
Can Barcelona really find a better fit than Torres for a figure lower than that paid to City for him in 2022? Can the market offer them a player who accepts a non-starting position in the squad, embraces his role and becomes a highly respected member of the dressing room, something that is key to retaining squad harmony?
The answer to both questions is probably not, but that will be a tough call to make. For now, let Barcelona enjoy the best version of their “shark” they have ever had.
(Top photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images)
