If Liverpool had scouts watching their incoming goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili at the Estadi Lluis Companys on Sunday, there may have been some cause for panic after Valencia were thrashed 7-1 by Barcelona.
Mamardashvili has already agreed to join the Reds in a £35million transfer in July. But the 24-year-old is enduring a difficult season in Spain and shipped seven goals at the weekend.
Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong opened the scoring after just three minutes after stabbing home from a Lamine Yamal cross, before Ferran Torres doubled their advantage from a similar delivery by Alejandro Balde.
Raphinha made it 3-0 inside the first quarter of an hour, rounding Mamardashvili after he made a rash decision to come sprinting off his line. And from there, it was simply about how many Barca could score.
Fermin Lopez’s goal was initially ruled out for offside after slotting home, but VAR intervened after replays showed the 22-year-old had timed his to perfection, making it 4-0.
He then got his second of the night after Raphinha had rattled the crossbar with his effort from a tight angle.
Hugo Duro grabbed a consolation just before the hour mark, but Robert Lewandowski restored their five-goal cushion shortly after and Cesar Tarrega’s own goal completed their humiliation.
While Mamardashvili was not solely responsible for the capitulation from his side, the Georgian stopper won’t want to watch the highlights again.
His statistics for the season make grim reading for Liverpool, as he currently has the worst save rate of any goalkeeper in La Liga with 58.8 per cent, as well as conceding 30 goals in 17 appearances.
But the ugly truth for Valencia is that the hosts could have easily reached double digits if it wasn’t for Mamardashvili, as Barca ended their four-game winless run in style.
It represented Valencia’s worst defeat against the Blaugrana since Gary Neville was in charge in 2016. The former Manchester United footballer lost 7-0 in the Copa del Rey semi-final – on that occasion at the Camp Nou – with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar running riot.
Carlos Corberan, the former West Brom coach who succeeded Ruben Baraja as head coach on Boxing Day, admitted his side couldn’t compete with Barcelona and were outclassed.
“I always like to take full responsibility for things that happen on the pitch,” Corberan said. “And when we have been outclassed in a match, it is time to self-criticise and see why we didn’t compete at the level that the match demands, what the club we represent demand, and we have not had the intensity or the ability to match FC Barcelona.
“When one suffers a comprehensive result, through not having competed at the level that we have as a team, at the level that wearing the shirt demands of us, there is no more painful feeling than that.”
Los Che are in danger of being relegated for the first time since 1985-86, having won just three of their 21 matches this season and sitting 19th in the table.
For Mamardashvili, there is some relief at the fact he won’t be there much longer.
