Fermín scored for Levante with a powerful left-footed shot from distance.
Barça took advantage of a corner kick executed in the most surprising way. Fermín is confident, and his long-range shooting is one of his many virtues that make him a different and special player.
Against tight defenses, what better than players with good long shots to force opponents not to be able to fall back quickly?
Hansi Flick's Barça has recovered the characteristics of classic German coaches: running a lot and shooting from far away.
In their first season, the team scored 23 goals from outside the box out of approximately 180 total goals, meaning almost 13% of goals came from beyond 16 meters.
This season, the contribution of long shots is even better. 16.5% of goals come from spectacular long-distance strikes. Specifically, 17 of the 103 goals have been scored this way.
The best for Barça and worst for rivals is that the group of potential long shooters is growing. Fermín, Ferran, Rashford, and Raphinha have each scored three goals from outside the area.
Lamine Yamal and Olmo have two each, and Pedri one. Lewandowski is expected to join this list. Bernal and Casadó also have powerful shots from distance.
The threat of long shots is a weapon when the combination play stalls, and these good results invite trying it more frequently.
If this specialty is combined with some accuracy on set pieces, it would be a festival. The poor record of only two free-kick goals in 67 matches over two seasons demonstrates there is much room for improvement in this area, which often decides matches.
