Barcelona’s start to the season has been about as close to perfect as it gets — seven straight league wins to open a season for the first time in club history, and their goals-per-game average this season is closing in on five. Their firepower next to their neighborhood rivals is honestly not even a fair comparison. And while all the attention might be on Raphinha’s brilliant form, this level of attacking output is never just about one or two players having a hot streak — it’s a handful of signings, the chemistry of the players already there, and manager Flick’s tactical philosophy all stacking on top of each other.
Two wingers in flight, and a front line built on relentless movement
This season, Lewandowski and Ferran Torres both left, and the move for Álvarez they wanted never happened — Barcelona’s current squad still doesn’t have a genuine No. 9. And yet that exact “no striker” setup has produced absurd attacking efficiency. As I already said, the focus shouldn’t all be on Raphinha’s brilliant form, but it’s hard not to start with the best-performing player regardless. Raphinha has always been a player who works hard off the ball, reads the game extremely well, and is excellent at finding space — and this season’s striker-less setup suits his instinct for exploiting gaps perfectly. Look closely at his goals this season and what he’s actually doing is simple (deceptively simple — reading where the gap will open is itself a genuinely hard skill): being in the right place at the right time and finishing. And when it comes to the right place at the right time, you can’t talk about that without talking about the chance-creation Barcelona’s two wingers generate this season. On the right, Lamine Yamal has already been Barcelona’s main attacking outlet for a couple of seasons now — his dribbling and cutting in from the flank has always been Barcelona’s most threatening route to goal. And with Anthony Gordon added on the left and the versatile Adeyemi up front this season, opponents can no longer commit extra bodies specifically to contain Yamal — and with no striker occupying the middle, the space is wide open, which has taken Yamal’s destructive potential up another level. He’s been cutting inside and shooting more aggressively this season, ripping defenses apart, and his threat in turn opens up more space for Anthony Gordon and Raphinha — but if an opponent focuses on shutting down Anthony Gordon and Raphinha, they can’t contain Yamal either… it just keeps feeding itself in a positive loop. On top of that, none of these players are selfish — they’re happy to pass when a teammate has a better chance, and with no striker holding up the middle they can rotate positions fluidly up front. And their defensive work rate and attitude are genuinely good too (yes, I am pointing this at certain players at our archrivals Real Madrid), which fits perfectly with Flick’s emphasis on high pressing — win the ball back the instant it’s lost, which gives them more one-on-one attacking opportunities instead of just circulating the ball around the perimeter. I’ve said all this and haven’t even mentioned Dani Olmo’s late runs and through-ball ability yet — that’s how absurd Barcelona’s attacking output is this season.
The Ballon d’Or winner’s arrival has set the attack loose
One of the most surprising transfers of the summer was Rodri leaving Manchester City, where he spent seven years, to join Barcelona. Regular readers of this site will remember that City’s move for Enzo Fernández to take over the defensive-midfield spot was a direct response to Rodri’s departure — Rodri leaving indirectly set off this whole round of midfield reshuffling at City.
Under Guardiola, Rodri’s role was as the metronome: composed, almost never out of position, controlling the entire match’s tempo through his reading of the game. But Flick’s Barcelona plays differently from Guardiola’s patient possession system — both value the ball, but Flick’s version pushes much harder vertically, presses more intensely, and transitions faster. Rodri looks like he’s settling in remarkably quickly — his passing vision and decision-making let him slot into this more direct system fast. This is a player who just won the World Cup’s Golden Ball and is a former Ballon d’Or winner — fully fit, he’s arguably the best single defensive midfielder on the planet. His defensive work lets the front players take on far more risk in their attacking play, because if the ball is lost, Flick’s high press plus Rodri’s positioning means they can win it right back anyway. That’s also what lets Pedri and Dani Olmo push up the pitch with confidence — the defending, the ball-winning, the physical duels, the build-up responsibility can all be handed to Rodri, freeing both of them to pour more energy into creativity in the final third.
The full-backs setting modern football’s ceiling are having a great season too
In modern football, it’s usually the full-backs who set a team’s ceiling — once the tactic of an inverted full-back joining the buildup proved successful, modern full-backs started being valued as much for their passing, forward runs, and organization as for their defending. An elite team having a full-back who can tuck inside has practically become standard — it gives you a permanent extra man in the buildup zone, and the ball reaches the front line more smoothly. Barcelona’s performances in this position have been just as impressive this season — whether it’s Cancelo, already known as an “inverted full-back” from his Manchester City days, or the young Xavi Espart who’s converted to full-back, both have shown real value this season in their organization, distribution, and long-range shooting. That makes Barcelona’s attacking threat even harder to defend — the front players alone already give opposing back lines a headache, and now you have to worry about these two bombing forward and shooting from distance too? Whoever’s on the other end of that is going to have a rough time.
There’s still one real concern: how do you break down a low block without a physical presence?
But — with all these strengths laid out, the creative front line, the rock-solid Ballon d’Or winner, the full-backs’ brilliant contributions, the suffocating high-pressing philosophy — this setup isn’t without its downside. The lack of aerial/physical presence means that against a team that parks the bus, they might not have a reliable way through, with no way to threaten the box via long balls into a target man. They’re left relying on Yamal and Gordon’s one-on-one dribbling or shots from distance to manufacture chances — this is probably the one area they’ll need to strengthen in the winter window.
Meanwhile, archrivals Real Madrid are back to struggling with possession and space
After all this Barcelona talk, it’d be remiss not to mention their archrivals Real Madrid too. When they opened the season with three straight wins, I briefly thought the space-and-possession issues that had dogged them since Mbappé’s arrival had been sorted out — but after losing to Real Betis and Atlético Madrid, those same problems seem to be resurfacing, and the harmony of their three superstars at the start of the season looks like it might have been a mirage. Mbappé’s old habit of not tracking back and just loitering up top is creeping back in. Vinícius has dipped in form since signing his new contract, his fitness has come under scrutiny again, and he still can’t beat his man while also losing his temper on the pitch. Bellingham is facing the same issues with emotional control, plus his need for forward runs and space is proving hard to reconcile with the other two. Yan Diomandé, the club-record signing who was supposed to help fix this, has only had scattered minutes and hasn’t really settled into the team yet. If even Mourinho can’t get this group to gel, Real Madrid could well be looking at another trophyless season.