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

It all began with the rising Spanish full-back Xavi Espart. Five minutes in, he lashed home his first Barcelona goal from outside the box.

That strike told you everything about Espart's quality, and about Flick's shrewd use of it. The German has deployed him as an inverted or overlapping left-back all season long.

Pep Guardiola built his reputation on exactly this method, above all at Manchester City. He used it with the English full-back Kyle Walker, with his compatriot Nico O'Reilly, and even with the Portuguese João Cancelo, now a Barcelona player.

Flick has turned the 19-year-old into something close to a midfielder. His job is to burst into the space time and again, exploiting the channel between Levante's right-back and the centre-back on that side.

Espart carried out the role superbly, a constant extra man in Barcelona's midfield. Then he crowned it with the goal that handed the Catalans control of the match from the off.

But every approach, however positive, needs a victim. Espárrago's magic trick claimed the English winger Anthony Gordon, the worst player on the pitch for Barcelona.

Pinned to the flank and hugging the touchline, Gordon stayed miles from the danger zone all match, until Germany's Karim Adeyemi replaced him midway through the second half.

In 67 minutes he managed nothing. Not a single shot on or off target. Not one completed dribble. Just 16 passes, most of them backwards.

Strangely enough, Adeyemi went on to score the Catalan side's fourth goal, proof that Gordon fell victim not only to Xavi Espárrago but to himself, on the day he produced his worst display.

Espart's game keeps him pushing forward constantly, and that forces Flick to lean on a right-back who commits defensively and can slot into the heart of the defence when shifting across to cover for the Spanish full-back.

Eric Garcia got the nod at full-back, with Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin in central defence. Martin would move to left-back to cover for Espart, while Garcia tucked in as a second centre-back alongside Cubarsi.

Garcia handled the role well. What he couldn't do was snuff out the threat of Spanish winger Roger Brugue, who whipped in dangerous crosses towards the Barcelona goal before scoring one himself with a moment of brilliant individual skill.

Barcelona edged in front, and Levante had a choice to make. Julián Calero's answer was to press extremely high up the pitch, a double-edged gamble that could go either way.

It backfired. The high press failed to win the ball off Barcelona's players, who strung together a few quick passes and carried the move all the way to the hosts' goal for a second.

Twice Barcelona made Levante pay. The 19th-minute strike effectively settled the contest, then a third at the start of the second half killed off any lingering hopes of a comeback.

Emphatic as the win was, Flick must warn his Barcelona players against the sloppiness that crept in during the closing minutes. Against a stronger side, the consequences would be dire.

Late on, Barcelona's players played as if the match was already won. They competed with one another in error: stray passes, slack marking, weak tackles.

Levante pounced. Two goals followed, and they came close to snatching a killer equaliser. Only Adama spared Barcelona, wrapping up the match with a superb piece of individual skill for the decisive fourth.