On the ruins of Gordon: Barcelona demolish Levante's defences with Guardiola's magic trick

It started with Xavi Espart. The rising Spanish full-back opened his Barcelona account in the fifth minute, lashing home from outside the box.

That goal showcased Espart's quality and Flick's shrewd use of it. The coach has deployed him as an inverted, overlapping left-back since the start of the season.

Pep Guardiola built his reputation on the same method, most notably at Manchester City. He used it with England's Kyle Walker, his compatriot Nico O'Reilly and even current Barcelona man Joao Cancelo of Portugal.

Flick turned the 19-year-old into something of a midfielder, forever bursting into the space behind and exploiting the channel between Levante's right-back and the centre-back alongside him.

Espart thrived in the role. He gave Barcelona a constant extra body in the middle of the pitch and crowned it with the goal that handed the Catalans control from the off.

Every masterplan, however slick, needs a victim. Xavi Espárt's fall guy was Anthony Gordon, the England winger who turned in the worst display of anyone in a Barcelona shirt.

Espárt pinned Gordon to the touchline all afternoon, keeping him miles from the danger zone until Germany's Karim Adeyemi replaced him midway through the second half.

The numbers tell the story. In 67 minutes, Gordon managed no shots on or off target, completed not a single dribble, and played just 16 passes, most of them going backwards.

Then came the sting. Adeyemi, his replacement, went on to score Barcelona's fourth. Gordon, it turns out, was not only a victim of Xavi Espárt but of himself, after serving up his worst performance of the season.

Espart's game keeps him permanently pushed forward, and that forces Flick to lean on a right-back who buys into the defensive graft and can slot into the heart of the backline when covering for the Spanish full-back.

Flick turned to Eric Garcia at full-back, with Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin in the middle. Martin would shift out to left-back to cover for Espart, while Garcia tucked in as a second centre-back alongside Cubarsi.

The job suited Garcia, but he couldn't snuff out the threat of Spanish winger Roger Bruch. Bruch whipped in a series of dangerous crosses to trouble Barcelona's goal, then finished the job himself with a moment of superb individual skill.

Barcelona struck first, and Levante responded the only way Luis Castro knew how: by pressing high up the pitch. It was a double-edged gamble.

That gamble cost them the second goal. Their high press failed to win the ball off the Barcelona players, who carved their way to the hosts' goal with just a few passes.

Twice Barcelona punished them. The 19th-minute strike effectively settled the match, and the third at the start of the second half killed off any hope of a comeback.

The scoreline was resounding, but Flick must warn his players against slipping back into the habits that crept in during the closing minutes. Repeat that against a stronger side and the consequences will be dire.

Barcelona's players played those final minutes as though the match was already won. They vied with one another to commit mistakes, whether in the accuracy of their passing, their poor marking, or a lack of sharpness in the tackle.

Levante pounced. Two goals followed, and they came close to snatching a killer equaliser. Adama had the final word, ending the contest with a superb piece of individual skill for a fourth goal that killed the game off.