Once Inaki Williams went waltzing through the Barça defence as though he was skipping through the meadow and enjoying the daisies, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was going to be another one of those days under Ronald Koeman.
Credit where it’s due, however, because by half-time it was probably the Blaugranes’ best 45 minutes of the season.
After their initial burst, Athletic appeared to be a team that were still trying to work out their formation and game plan under a new manager.
There were a few flashes but in the main they were a distant second best, a pattern that continued in the second half.