Five games, five wins, and in four of them they scored five goals. The latest came last night on their Champions League league phase debut, when they thrashed Feyenoord 5-1. Barcelona's start to the season has been sensational and, once again, Flick's side are among the favourites to win the famous old trophy. Or maybe it's only right to call them THE favourites. A tag the Blaugrana are more than happy to accept, because this year's objective is not La Liga but a place in the final at Madrid's Metropolitano. The usual heavyweights still stand in their way, from Real Madrid to Arsenal, from Paris Saint-Germain to Bayern Munich, plus Inter, who have reached two finals in the last four years years, but this year Barça seem to have an extra gear compared to the rest.
Getty Images SportStar-studded transfer market
A strong transfer window deserves plenty of credit. The exits of Ferran Torres, Rashford and Lewandowski, who ended up in Major League Soccer with Chicago, caused no unrest. Up front, Barcelona brought in players who have kept the level high and offered solutions that were missing last year. From Gordon to Adeyemi, and Gabriel Jesus, who scored yesterday two minutes after coming on, all of them have slotted perfectly into Barcelona's style of play, giving them an endless range of attacking options. The real coup, though, came in midfield with World Cup winner and 2024 Ballon d'Or Rodri, the man who has taken them up a level and guarantees order and tempo. He is fundamental in the build-up and in the defensive balance. Barcelona needed that profile and had been missing it.
Raphinha the extra man
Raphinha has been one of the keys to Barcelona's flying start, scoring 8 goals in the first 5 games of the season. In the Blaugrana's history, only Kocsis has done better at this stage, with 9 in 1958-59. The former Leeds man is thriving as a false nine and yesterday's brace took him to 21 Champions League goals in the Catalan club's shirt, fifth in the special ranking behind only Messi, untouchable on 126, Suarez (25), Rivaldo (25) and Lewandowski (23). After a bad World Cup, the Brazilian has become the extra man in a team operating at another speed. According to Feyenoord manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, "for the way they play, they are the best team in the world at the moment".
Raphinha like Cristiano Ronaldo?
From winger to centre-forward, Raphinha's evolution has reminded some of Cristiano Ronaldo. His former manager at Vitoria Guimaraes, Vitor Campelos, certainly thinks so: "In 2015-16 I played him as a centre-forward in a match against Porto B. He was very young but had the right ruthlessness in front of goal. He understands the game, reads it excellently and attacks in behind. In future he can become a No 9 just like Cristiano Ronaldo," he said in an interview with Sport. Barcelona's success depends on his goals, and this year they are the team to beat.
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