Dani Olmo nets twice as Barcelona get contributions from more than just their forwards

Barcelona's attacking trio of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal have been rightly getting all the plaudits. But against Espanyol, it was Dani Olmo who took the headlines.

The former RB Leipzig player made his first start since making his way back from injury and scored twice in Barcelona's 3-1 win over Espanyol in his Catalan Derby.

His first goal came from an outstanding outside-the-boot pass from Lamine Yamal. Olmo then struck it past the keeper for the opener only 12 minutes in.

After Raphinha got the second i the 23rd minute, Olmo got Barcelona's third, his second, only eight minutes later. This one was less tiki-taka as Olmo unleashed a powerful shot that took a slight deflection on its way to goal.

But it was an Olmo-type goal where he saw he had some space and in front of goal, took his chance.

"We are a team with a lot of goals in it," Olmo said. "Both the forwards and the midfielders that get forward can contribute in that regard. We can play direct and we create a lot of chances."

Olmo, who has Barcelona's marquee signing from RB Leipzig this season, has quickly adapted to the club and what has been asked of him by Hansi Flick. That's not usually the case with Barcelona signings and even less so when you miss a significant time out due to injury.

Olmo picked up an injury Barcelona's 4-1 win against Girona back in September.

Despite all that, he's proven to be an important part of the Catalan side in the short amount of time he's been at the club. He scored the winner in his debut against Rayo Vallecano and scored against Real Valladolid and Girona. Against Real Madrid, he was brought on in the second half and fit in like a glove in midfield.

"He knows how to score goals, this was for us very important today," Flick said . "We are very happy Dani is back. Maybe he is not 100% still, but he's back and was able to start. This is also why we won this match."

It's important for Barcelona to be getting goal scoring contributions from other parts of the field and not solely relying on the front three. Raphinha scored, Lamine Yamal had an assist and Robert Lewandowski is the league's leading scorer but it's unrealistic to expect them to continue their torrid pace all season.

That's why it's important other players step up and so far this season, they have. Pedri has chipped in with goals and players like Marc Casado and Pablo Torre have provided assists with both filling in due to injuries.

With Olmo, the quality has never been i question. The only doubt surrounding him has always been the ability to stay healthy. He's back now and Barcelona hope he'll be able to stay healthy and continue to be an important part of Flick's side.

"I feel good," Olmo, said. "I was really looking forward to returning and being able to help the team on the pitch. I'm back, enjoying it, playing, winning ... and I want more."