The contrasts between Barcelona and Real Madrid were difficult to ignore over the summer, with the former seemingly lagging behind the latter in every meaningful category. Barcelona had just completed a trophyless season, ten points behind Real Madrid, who won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League and created a sense of inevitable victory every time they played. Things seemed to be moving in the same direction for another year when Real Madrid signed Kylian Mbappe, while financial problems meant they needed a loophole to register Euro champion Dani Olmo. The drama that led to Xavi’s sudden dismissal and the appointment of Hansi Flick only added to the chaos that has characterized Barcelona in recent years.
And yet Barcelona left Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Saturday with a resounding 4-0 victory in El Clasico, a result that validated several decisions the club has made in recent years.
The most immediate was of course the appointment of Flick. Barcelona has emerged as an attacking force in its early days on the court, leading La Liga with 37 goals in 11 league games – 16 more than the next best, Real Madrid. Flick’s side are averaging 3.4 goals per game, up from last season’s 2.1, while also creating two shots per game and scoring 0.5 more expected goals per game.
Their attacking efforts are helped by their defensive stability, which has reduced their goals-against average from 2.5 last year to 0.9 this year. It’s a particularly impressive feat considering the unique demands of Flick’s style, but as goalkeeper Inaki Pena noted after the match on Saturday, the plan is undoubtedly working.
“We showed we can beat any team,” Pena said. according to DAZN. “We have changed the mentality, the team has improved a lot. We are scoring a lot of goals. And we have to enjoy that. The boss told us from day one that our defensive line cannot go backwards. That is his style.” And Barcelona’s goal for years has been to keep the defensive line as high as possible. We did this this week against such fast and powerful players, which shows we did a good job. The boss’s ideas suited us. For me it is dangerous to play with so many meters [of space] behind them and you are on your own. But you can see all that in the number of offside situations.”
Flick’s adjustments have allowed Barcelona to survive the challenges their squad – and those who built it – have faced in recent years. For starters, the team is dealing with a bit of an injury crisis: Pena replaces Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is out with a knee injury, while Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo are also on the injury list. However, several players have stepped up to fill the gaps, while Flick is making the most of a wide range of players.
Lamine Yamal has been one of Barcelona’s standouts this season, which is no surprise after bursting onto the scene a year ago. The 17-year-old midfielder has now registered five goals and seven assists this season, including his 77th-minute goal against Real Madrid this weekend. The new face of Barcelona, their best player, is also the face of the club’s modern recruitment tool: the academy. A financial crisis may have complicated matters in recent years, but Barcelona’s youth have always been a source of optimism, and perhaps the clearest way to stay competitive with expensive Real Madrid.
Flick gets equal productivity from veteran Robert Lewandowski, who leads the La Liga scoring charts with 14 goals this season, just five fewer than his total last season. It marks a remarkable rise in performance for the 36-year-old striker, who was in no way considered a long-term solution when Barcelona signed him two years ago but has played a crucial role in their success this season, including with a brace. in El Clasico. Lewandowski’s goal tally is not the only thing showing an upward trend; his expected goals per game has increased from 0.5 to 1.2 and he is averaging four shots per game, up from last season’s 2.7, making this by far his best season since joining Barcelona.
The biggest surprise of Barcelona’s unexpectedly successful start to the season, however, has been Raphina’s form. His move from Leeds United in 2022 was one of several dazzling transfers made by Barcelona during their cash-strapped era and initially struggled to make his mark on the team. He failed to score more than 10 goals per season in his first two years at Barcelona and went goalless in his first 10 UEFA Champions League games, but the Brazil international has enjoyed a star turn this season. He scored his tenth goal of the season in El Clásico and now has seven assists after setting up Yamal on Saturday. He is averaging a goal or assist every 68 minutes and is finding impressive form at a crucial time for Barcelona.
Individual brilliance has seen Barcelona pass almost every test they have faced so far this season, emerging on an incredible high after an important week. Just days before they powered past Real Madrid, they recorded a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League and now have a six-point lead in La Liga. It’s still early in this season’s trophy hunt, but their astonishing start makes them easy front-runners to clinch the title in Spain and the team to watch in Europe.
Of course, it is difficult not to make comparisons with Real Madrid, but unlike the summer, every measurement leans in favor of Barcelona. Barcelona are the attacking juggernaut that Real Madrid most expected to be, with Saturday’s losers now playing catch-up in the league. Barcelona are the team that could turn the two-horse race between Real Madrid and Manchester City upside down. Many expected the Champions League campaign to be that. Most impressively, Barcelona may be developing the feeling of certain victory that defined Real Madrid a year ago.