The unstoppable machinery of Hansi Flick's Barça

BarcelonaHansi Flick left Mestalla with a smile from ear to ear. The German coach was satisfied because his team put in a "fantastic performance at Mestalla." That is how he emphasized it in the post-match press conference. The Blaugrana steamroller destroyed (0-5) a disgraced Valencia in the midst of a social and sporting crisis. Flick celebrated that his pupils knew how to balance "control with verticality." Barça dominated possession overwhelmingly (27%-73%) thanks to the debut of a pair formed by Pedri and Rodri, which worked in a delightful way. Regarding verticality, it is explained by the constant runs of Raphinha, Gordon, and Fermín, and the accuracy in the finishing of Lamine Yamal, who prefers to receive the ball at his feet.

Although Flick made sure to remind everyone, once again, that he likes to play with a more referential center-forward, his team has started the championship with players breaking personal effectiveness records and placing themselves among the best season starts in the entire history of the Catalan entity. Barça has signed three five-goal hauls in four matches: in total, 17 goals in four matchdays. Only the 1950/51 season, with 21 goals, and the 1949/50 season, with 19, recorded better stats. Furthermore, the 17 goals achieved in the first four matchdays of La Liga equal the 1957/58 and 2011/12 seasons.

Last season there were 13 goals in the first four matches, but with a draw against Rayo and with feelings very far from those that the Catalan team has shown at the start of this campaign. Neither Lewandowski nor Ferran are here anymore, but there is Raphinha. The Brazilian attacker has scored in every matchday of the championship so far and is the sixth player in the entire history of Barça to achieve this. According to the club's records, only Kubala (1953/54), Cayetano Ré (1964/65), Cesc Fàbregas (2011/12), César (1950/51) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2009/10), with the latter two also managing to score during the first five matchdays of the League consecutively. Only Leo Messi –and not scoring in all matches as the Brazilian has done– had been capable of scoring six goals in the first four matches at the start of the championship.

Fermín López, a projection to shatter records

Although Raphinha had less contact with the ball compared to other matches, he did not skimp on his efforts with sprints: he is the player in the entire League who makes the most, followed by Xavi Espart and the Alavés winger, Abde Rebbach, according to data from the League itself. Persistent in defensive work –he is in charge of launching the advanced press– and tireless in his runs into space. Despite having fewer opportunities in front of goal at Mestalla, the Brazilian found the net again thanks to Fermín López, who is also experiencing his best start to a season as a Blaugrana. In fact, in just four matches –one of them as a substitute–, Fermín has already scored half the goals (4) that he did in his most prolific campaign in the domestic championship.

The Andalusian attacking midfielder scored 8 goals in 32 appearances in his debut season in the League, 2023/24, under Xavi Hernández. In the following seasons, he scored 6 goals in each: in 28 matches in 2024/25 and in 30 appearances in 2025/26. Between the Andalusian and Lamine Yamal, they have accounted for 8 of Barça's 17 goals. The winger from Rocafonda is the player who shoots the most (9 in four matches) for Barça and the one who has completed the most dribbles, with 16, which means an average of four per match so far.

In the assists folder, the 'blaugrana' –and the player in the entire League who excels the most in this aspect– is the newcomer Anthony Gordon, with four. Although the team channels more of its offensive play to the right, where Lamine and, often, Fermín are, Gordon recorded his fourth assist of the championship at Mestalla and had two clear goal-scoring chances. Finishing is the big pending task for a signing who has started on the right foot at Hansi Flick's Barça.

To the successful 'blaugrana' machinery, we must also add the contribution from the bench of players like Dani Olmo, with two assists, or Adeyemi, with one goal and one assist. The 'blaugrana' side, for the moment, has shattered the debate about who would be the replacement in the forward line after the frustrated signing of Julián Álvarez. This Wednesday, in the visit of Feyenoord (9 p.m., Movistar), Barça will face a more demanding test. The Champions League will help to balance at what point Hansi Flick's exciting 3.0 project at the helm of Barça finds itself.