Are Barcelona back? Electric Lamine Yamal and revitalised Robert Lewandowski leading the way as Hansi Flick fights off Blaugrana's injury curse

Flick had plenty to prove when he arrived in Barcelona. The way in which the club had dealt with Xavi's exit did not sit right with many supporters and there was a feeling that the German had only been hired because he was a free agent, thus making him the most attractive option for a cash-strapped club. Furthermore, while he may have won a treble with Bayern Munich, his dismissal after a dreadful run of results with Germany in the lead-up to Euro 2024 hardly inspired confidence in his capabilities.

Flick, though, hasn't put a foot wrong so far. He immediately endeared himself to the fans and the media by embracing the local culture and, far more importantly, quickly won over the dressing room with his demanding but engaging style of management.

"He's really close to the players; someone who likes to talk with us," Pedri told Mundo Deportivo. "Apart from being serious, he also enjoys a joke, he's not always as serious as he appears.

"He helps us young players a lot. He's always on top of what we need and you appreciate that. When things have to be taken seriously, though, he does. He does have that element of a sergeant about him, but he's as good as gold when he speaks with the players."

One of Joan Laporta's principal problems with Xavi's Barca was that the team had a costly habit of fading in the final stages of games. "Flick knows that the players need to be prepared better physically," the president stated during the summer.

Incessant injury issues have long been a problem for Barca - which is why the fitness department was overhauled during the summer - and they haven't gone away just yet. Indeed, Flick has already lost both Marc Bernal, the teenage academy graduate who was shining in defensive midfield, and captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen to ACL injuries, while Olmo, Christensen and Fermin Lopez have all succumbed to more short-term but still significant fitness issues.

However, there is no denying that Barca, as a unit, look fitter, fresher and stronger than last season, with the players doing an excellent job so far of implementing the intensive pressing game with which Flick achieved so much success at Bayern.

"We work much harder than before," Pedri revealed. "The new fitness coaches that have come in are really good for us. We work hard and you notice it in the games. The team doesn't dip after the 70th or 80th minute, it maintains the same fitness levels."

Pedri is probably the perfect example of Flick's influence over the team. Without wanting to jinx a 21-year-old who has been blighted by injuries for the past three seasons, he looks in better shape than ever before.

After coming off the bench in the opening-weekend win at Valencia, he has started every game since and is back doing what he does best: winning the ball and using it effectively. Pedri has reclaimed possession more times than any other Barca player so far this season (31), while only Raphinha has created more chances.

"Physically, I notice that I am doing much better, able to do different things," he said. "Flick is really good in that sense, giving us confidence. I feel free. I think that's what he has transmitted to me, to play without pressure and to do what I know. I feel much more at ease."

Of course, Pedri isn't the only player flourishing under Flick. Ostensibly, Raphinha remains a winger in the German coach's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation but he, too, has been given far greater freedom by Flick, which means the Brazilian is now constantly popping up in central areas - and to impressive effect.

Raphinha isn't just creating chances, as all good widemen should, he's also working tirelessly to win the ball back high up the pitch. Even more significantly, he's added goals to his game. The former Leeds United star has already netted five times this season - just one fewer than he managed across the entire 2023-24 Liga campaign - and ranked second in the Liga scoring charts after six rounds of matches. The one man above him? Team-mate Robert Lewandowski, with six goals in as many games.

The Pole was once again Barca's top scorer last season, but there were undeniably times when it appeared as if time had caught up with the 36-year-old. However, Lewandowski looks reborn under Flick, which is perhaps unsurprising given the No.9 broke the Bundesliga single-season goal-scoring record during their time together at Bayern. As Flick pointed out recently, "This is the Robert I know; I never knew another."

As for Lewandowski, he says he is simply benefiting from Flick's more direct approach: "We are looking to get the ball into the box more quickly this season and, as a striker, that’s my zone; that’s where I want the ball."

Pep Guardiola has always been at pains to point out that he was lucky to have Lionel Messi during his period of sustained success at Barcelona. The Argentine just made everything easier. Flick is feeling just as blessed right now.

While it remains unfair to compare Lamine Yamal to the greatest player of all time, the 17-year-old's remarkable form makes such talk utterly inevitable. Because let's be clear about this: what Yamal is doing is truly extraordinary. He is the most exciting attacking talent in the game right now - and also arguably the best.

After announcing himself to the sporting world as a bona fide superstar with his sensational showings for Spain at Euro 2024, he has hit the ground running for Barcelona, with four goals and five assists in seven outings so far this season (the outside-of-the-foot pass he played for Raphinha's second strike in Sunday's 5-1 win at Villarreal was a thing of beauty).

Even more impressively, Yamal has also won more tackles than any of his team-mates in 2024-25 (12), while only Pedri has regained possession on more occasions.

"To be a difference-maker at such a young age is really incredible," Flick said. "Having him is key for us not only because of his quality but he also presses high very well. He combines talent and pressure and that's massive for us. He is outstanding."

Yamal's remarkable - and timely - rise to prominence has only underlined the importance of La Masia to Barca's hopes of reclaiming their spot at the summit of world football. The most prestigious academy in world football continues to provide answers to the club's ongoing financial problems.

Flick has certainly leaned heavily on La Masia during the early stages of his tenure, in order to address issues caused not only by injuries, but also Barca's inability to adequately strengthen their squad over the summer. Already this season he has given Liga debuts to Bernal (17), Sergi Dominguez (19) and Gerard Martin (22), while Marc Casado (21) has featured regularly.

“Flick understood perfectly what our value is: our jewel, La Masia,” Laporta said. However, it's been very much a case of 'needs must', and the big question is whether Flick can maintain this winning run, particularly with Ter Stegen's likely season-ending injury meaning he'll have to put the unreliable Inaki Pena in goal, at least until January.

He's miraculously managed to overcome every obstacle placed before him so far and Barca should make it seven wins from seven in the Primera Division when they face Getafe on Wednesday. However, it is worth remembering that Barca lost their Champions League opener, in Monaco, and while that 2-1 defeat can be attributed to the early dismissal of Eric Garcia, who was undone by a mistake from Ter Stegen, Flick's enforced use of the former Manchester City centre-back as a defensive midfielder hammers home just how short Barca are in certain areas of the pitch, with Gavi and Frenkie de Jong still working their way back from the respective injuries that prematurely ended their 2023-24 campaigns.

There are also nagging fears that the manager's high-energy approach might well catch up with a relatively young and overstretched squad come the business end of the season. For now, though, Flick deserves all the credit in the world for bringing some calm to this most chaotic of clubs. Even by Barca's standards, Flick's flawless start to life in La Liga was most unexpected.