Barcelona vs. Roma: Things Learned from Joan Gamper Trophy

Barcelona defeated Roma 3-0 on Wednesday night to capture the Joan Gamper Trophy in front of their home fans at the Camp Nou. 

Neymar, Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic found the back of the net for Barca, which entered the contest in a rough patch of pre-season form. 

As for the Italians, they failed to impress against a quality opponent. While the pre-season may not be the right time to ignite a ton of concern, Roma did not display many positives against the Blaugrana.

Continue reading to see what we learned from Barca's victory at home over the Serie A club. 

Barca's 1st-Half Performance Silenced Pre-Season Naysayers

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Before the match began, Barcelona were under a bit of criticism for how their pre-season started in the United States. A loss to Manchester United and a draw with Chelsea brought up some concerns that the Blaugrana weren't going to be ready for their early-season UEFA Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup matches. 

However, the worries about a rough start were thrown away after Barca came out firing on all cylinders in the first 45 minutes. With Messi, Neymar, Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves back in the squad, Barca did not miss a beat during the first half in front of the home fans at the Camp Nou. 

The best display of team chemistry came on Messi's 41st-minute goal, when Luis Suarez, Alves and Neymar got involved in the play before Messi finished off his first strike of the season. 

While it was right to display a small bit of concern about Barca's play in the United States, that should go away fast if the South American contingent of the squad plays like it did Wednesday. 

Wojciech Szczesny Made a Positive Impression Against a World-Class Side

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Before Barcelona broke down the Roma defense, Szczesny kept the Italian side in the game with a flurry of early denials. 

The top save from the on-loan Arsenal man came in the 16th minute, when he stretched to his right and knocked away an attempt by Rakitic. 

Although the scoreline and the amount of playing time for the Poland international may stick out as concerning, Szczesny actually put in an impressive 45-minute performance in between the pipes before Morgan De Sanctis entered at the start of the second half. 

For a goalkeeper susceptible to making key mistakes, an outing like the one he had Wednesday—albeit of the short variety—should have left a good impression in the mind of manager Rudi Garcia. 

Outside of Gervinho, the Roma Attack Was Lifeless

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Unlike the Barcelona attack, Roma's front three failed to impress throughout their time on the pitch. The lone bright spot for Garcia's side was former Arsenal man Gervinho. 

The Ivorian, who was paired with Mattia Destro and Iago Falque at the top of a 4-3-3, was the only starting Roma forward who sprung to life when Roma had a chance to capitalize on the counter. 

Gervinho's best chance to test Barca's starting goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, came in the ninth minute, as he took advantage of openings in the Barca back line after a corner kick. Mascherano eventually snuffed out the move, but it did show that Roma were not afraid to surge forward on the counter through Gervinho. 

Other than the brief spots where Gervinho shined in space, Roma carried little to no threat into the final third. Due to the poor overall showing in attack, Destro was lifted at the half, and Falque made his way to the bench midway through the second half. 

While they still have a few more matches to work on the right formula up top, Roma failed to show any pre-season progression against Barca. 

Jeremy Mathieu Handed Luis Enrique Some Defensive Flexibility at Left-Back

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Not many people took any stock in Mathieu's start on the left side of the back four at the start of the contest. But by the time the final whistle sounded, the Frenchman's versatility became a bigger topic due to the departure of Jordi Alba in the second half. 

Alba walked off the field in the 76th minute with an ankle injury that may leave the Blaugrana short-handed at the position entering the busy stretch at the beginning of the season.

Luckily for Enrique, Mathieu impressed enough to earn another look at left-back moving forward. The regular center-back displayed the capability to surge forward in attack in the 26th minute, as he dropped a quick pass to the feet of Neymar before the Brazilian netted the first strike of the match. 

With Thomas Vermaelen back and ready to contribute to the side, it would not be a bad idea for Enrique to hand Mathieu another start on the left against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup just in case Alba is not 100 percent. 

Rakitic's Quality Was on Display All Night

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One of the few players to stay on the pitch for 90 minutes Wednesday night was Rakitic. 

Rakitic earned every second of playing time thanks to his contributions in midfield holding possession and his runs into the final third. 

The shining moment of the match for the Croatian came in the 66th minute, when he struck a beautiful shot into the top-left corner of the net from outside the box. The wonderful individual effort handed Rakitic plenty of confidence to shoot from a distance on a few more occasions. 

Although Barca don't necessarily need another scorer in the lineup, it is nice to have someone of Rakitic's quality behind the front three in case Messi, Neymar and Suarez all have an off night. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.