Xabi Alonso feels a cold sweat on his back...: the hot notes from Barça-Real Sociedad

BarcelonaBarça has made another comeback, their third of the season, to climb to the top of the table. Without playing a great game, Flick's team is already setting the pace despite the absences. These absences fade into the background when Lamine Yamal returns to the spotlight, the best news in a match that could have ended badly had the Basques been more accurate. This is the good news for Barça: knowing how to win and being first in an adverse environment.

Cold sweat. Barça leads La Liga. They haven't played well, making a few mistakes, and a poor first half against Real Sociedad. Key players are missing, and players are still somewhat lost. But who's the leader? Barça. How things change. In 90 minutes, Xabi Alonso and his Real Madrid team have lost everything they've achieved in months. Their project no longer impresses; it seems to have cracks. What must the Real Madrid coach have thought upon seeing Lamine's return, upon seeing a Barça team overcoming its problems? He must have felt a cold sweat running down his back.

Iron Poles. Szczesny's fate is fascinating. A year ago, he was strolling on the beach in Marbella, thinking his career was over, and now he's playing again. Two injuries have opened the door for him to become a starter, true. But he played a good game, with a good save and no mistakes. It's a luxury to have a third goalkeeper like him. Although the board wanted him to be the second, when they were looking to sell Ter Stegen. That's Barça. It's fascinating to see how the club's two Poles, both veterans, continue to perform at a high level. Examples of commitment, both of them. And in the process, they help fill the stadium with Polish tourists, to raise money.

Welcome, Kounde. Julio Kounde started the season really poorly. On the day of the Gamper Trophy, he made almost no mistakes and was late to every ball. It seemed as if his mind was far from the game, which drove Flick to despair. He needed to get back to his best, and little by little, he's doing so. Even before scoring the equalizer with a fine header, he was stretching the team down the wing with his runs. Bentornat, Jules, Barça needs you. A good performance, because at the end, he switched off again and made some scary mistakes.

Return to Montjuïc. Throughout Sunday, the center of Barcelona was filled with tourists wearing Barça shirts. What the board had promised wouldn't happen, actually happened: Barça returned to the Lluís Companys Stadium, which it had already said goodbye to because, in theory, it was supposed to return to the Spotify Camp Nou this August. A minor disaster, all in all, but better to climb Montjuïc than play Johan Cruyff. The more people who can enjoy Lamine and company, the better. 50,000 people are better than 6,000. Now, I can't wait for this series to end and return to Camp Nou...