Barça’s First Test Is Underway.

 

FC Barcelona were back in action following the long FIFA break. Fortunately, there was one minor injury to Raphinha to worry about. Now, Barça has its first test of the season is underway as they dealt with an away victory to Galatasaray and a home victory against Real Betis. Next up, Paris Saint Germaine and Real Madrid.

Barça picked up right where they left off before the international break. They remain perfect and now face two major tests against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. While many see these matches as the ultimate measure of just how good this Barça side really is, the reality is that the timing could hardly be worse. With two huge games coming so soon after the FIFA break, the only difficult challenge at this inconvenient moment is El Clasico.

The main focus should be the league crow. A victory over Real Madrid would give Barça a nine-point gap ahead of their archrivals. It is true that league titles are not won in October, but they can be lost that early. Establishing a big lead in the league standings would allow them to rotate for the Champions League in the second half of the season to keep the players fresh.

It is unfortunate that the game against PSG had to be right before El Clasico, but the Champions League is a long journey which does not deserve its attention at the moment. A victory against Real Madrid would establish a new record for most wins, ten, to start a season. More importantly, a win would also deliver a psychological blow to their rivals and cause them more turmoil.

With the recent injuries to Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde, it would be vital not to lose more players to injury before El Clasico. I doubt Hansi Flick would rest so many starters against the European champions, PSG, but it is possible that their paths would cross again in the spring. It would be unfortunate for the Blaugrana to lose more players because of this clash before meeting Madrid.

Furthermore, Flick will have to find a way to rest Lamine Yamal. As much as the young star is important to the team’s success, Flick will have to find a way to rest him a few games to avoid losing him to an injury. Pedri and Gavi are perfect examples of players who paid the price from playing too much. Barça suffered last season when Lamine Yamal had to sit on the sidelines in the final weeks of the season because of an injury to his hamstring. Let’s hope Flick and Lamine Yamal have learned from that setback and think long-term instead of short term.

Barça's Opening Six Matches Packed with History.

 

FC Barcelona’s opening six matches have been packed with history at the beginning of their 2026-2027 campaign. From Lamine Yamal’s record-breaking milestones to Raphina’s climb up the Champions League scoring charts and Hansi Flick’s perfect start.

Barça have won all six of their competitive matches so far under Hansi Flick. That perfect record matches their best ever start to a season, putting Flick’s team level with the club’s historic benchmark. Will they be able to break the record with their seventh consecutive victory against Racing Santander at the Camp Nou?

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have set an extraordinary scoring contribution for the Blaugrana. They already combined for 15 goals after six matches this season. Historically, only Barcelona duo to have scored more at this stage were Josep Samitier and Sagi-Barba Piera, who had 16 goals between them after six matches during the 1924-1925 season. Yamal and Raphinha could match or break a record that has stood for more than a century.

As a team, the Blaugrana’s attacking numbers become even more striking. Barça have scored 26 goals in their opening six competitive matches so far. That is the second-highest total in the club’s history after six matches right behind the 1925-1926 team, which had scored 27 goals after their first six matches. One more goal by this current team would equal that historic mark.

History was made when Lamine Yamal became the youngest to don the captain’s armband in FC Barcelona’s history. At just 19 years and 58 days, Lamine Yamal is now the youngest captain in club history. That record was previously held by Bojan Krkic (20 years and 56 days). Another achievement in this player’s young career. Lamine Yamal also became the youngest player representing a La Liga club to score directly from a free-kick in the Champions League. Two amazing feats in one night. It is another extraordinary entry on a résumé that is becoming increasingly difficult to believe.

While Lamine Yamal was making history, Raphinha was busy climbing the goalscoring charts. Raphinha now has 21 Champions League goals for Barcelona and has now moved into the top five goal scorers in the club’s history in the Champions League. His 21 goals put him in great company with other Barça legends.

The players ahead of Raphinha are:

• Lionel Messi: 120 goals
• Rivaldo: 25 goals
• Luis Suárez: 25 goals
• Robert Lewandowski: 23 goals
• Raphinha: 21 goals

Raphinha has equaled Neymar’s Barcelona Champions League goal tally, doing so in six fewer matches. It is possible he could become the second highest goal scorer, behind Lionel Messi, during this season, since only two goals separating him from Lewandowski and four from Rivaldo and Suárez.

The opening six matches have been sensational. One can only wonder what else this team will do with many more games to come.

Barça’s Perfect Start.

 

FC Barcelona kicked off the 2026-2027 season in spectacular fashion. Undefeated after four league matches and currently alone atop of the league standings. They also ended the transfer window with more new signings and haven’t suffered any injuries as they prepare for the Champions League.

FC Barcelona are enjoying a perfect start to the season. They have been great up front and have cut down on conceding goals. After four league matches, the Blaugrana have scored 17 goals and conceded only twice. They are averaging just over four goals a match and have scored five in three of their first four matches. Fans have to be pleased with those types of performances.

Furthermore, there seems to be no World Cup hangover for the players. Newly appointed captain, Raphinha, looks superb after having his World Cup cut short due to injury. Raphinha is the top goal scorer with six goals while Lamine Yamal and Fermín Lopez both have scored four. Cubarsi is continuing his fine World Cup form and Joan Garcia leads the race for the Zamora trophy. New signings Anthony Gordon and Rodri seem to be settling in quite well with this team. It’s refreshing to finally see such good depth on this team.

Speaking of new signings, the Blaugrana managed to sign Gabriel Jesus and Dominik Livaković to complete their busy summer of signings. Sure, Julian Alvarez not joining this team is a bit disappointing but there is enough fire power at the moment. The most important thing is that the club was able to register all these players comfortably, unlike prior seasons.

Barça also discovered their Champions League opponents for the league phase. The Champions League quest kicks off this Wednesday and the Blaugrana will be facing Feyenoord Rotterdam, Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain, Aston Villa, Sabah FK, Manchester City, Sporting and Como. Facing the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will be a good litmus test of how good this Barça team truly is. There will be homecoming for former Barça players who are now club managers with Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord) and Cesc (Como).

Here’s hoping the team continues to play great and everyone stays fit. It will be a long season and hopefully Hansi Flick will rotate his players to keep them all healthy and happy with their minutes. The quest for the 30^th league title and 6^th Champions League title should be an interesting one.

Time for Barça to Take Charge.

After 18 games, FC Barcelona sit four points clear at the top of La Liga. They are La Liga’s Winter Champions, which is a nice label. But the Blaugrana faithful know that Winter Champions don’t get trophies in the trophy cabinet.

Happy New Year everybody. Barça are back in action this Saturday after enjoying a holiday break. They return to action enjoying a nice four-point cushion ahead of their archrival, Real Madrid. After a wobbly October, Barça made amends for those poor losses to Sevilla and Real Madrid that threatened to derail the season early. Although you don’t win the league early in the season, you can absolutely lose it.

Thankfully, Barça did what contenders do, and they fought back instead of hanging their heads low. An eight-game winning streak in La Liga flipped the narrative, pushed them past Madrid, and put them where they belong, as league leaders.

Right now, Barça look like a team that has found its mojo again. Although the concerns about the high press continue to linger, the team seems to have health, and momentum in their favor. Currently, the entire squad is almost healthy. Furthermore, the intensity is there, the legs are fresher, and the football seems to have a purpose.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are wobbling. Performances have lacked authority, and they seem a couple of bad results away from unraveling with their manager’s future questioned. The recent Mbappé injury only tilts the balance further in Barça’s favor. Momentum in football is fragile, and this is the moment for Barça to take advantage and take charge.

Barça open the new year away at Espanyol in the Derbi Barceloní. These games are never simple, and Espanyol have been solid this season. That’s exactly why it’s the perfect test. A chance to set the tone for the second half of the campaign.

Barça are to compete for La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Super Copa and the UEFA Champions League in the next few months.  It’s time to get the results to put more pressure on Real Madrid and other rivals. Playing back at the Camp Nou, even if at half capacity, still an advantage. However, there has to be an emphasis on rotating the players to keep them fresh, especially Lamine Yamal who has to be taken care of and not stretched thin by club and country. The 18-year-old Lamine Yamal is a rising star who finished as the runner up for the title of the best player in the world. His a phenom whose talent is undeniable but whose long-term health is non-negotiable. Brilliance means nothing if it burns out too soon. In order for Barça to have another successful season, the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha, Cubarsi and others have to be properly taken care of when it comes to minutes played. 

Lady Luck Smiles on Barça.

After months of battling adversity, FC Barcelona have reclaimed what belonged to them; top of La Liga. Prior to the New Year, with rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid breathing down Barça’s necks, it seemed Lady Luck was nowhere to be found. However, after a series of nail-biting encounters, fortunate breaks, and sheer resilience, it appears Lady Luck was smiling as Barça are in pole position for domestic and possible European glory once again.

This current season under Hansi Flick has been anything but boring. After 11 matches, the Blaugrana enjoyed a 6-point lead over Real Madrid and a 10-point lead over Atlético Madrid. Six matches later, Barça’s lead all but evaporated and were in third place in La Liga standings, with a soul crushing 2-1 loss at home to Atlético before the winter break. However, Barça are back as La Liga leaders, ahead of Real Madrid because of a tiebreaker and four points ahead of Atlético Madrid.

Lady Luck smiled on Barça as Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid squandered an eight point and six-point lead respectively, allowing the Blaugrana to capitalize and reclaim the league’s top spot. With eleven rounds to the end of the competition, Barça control their destiny again.

Lady Luck also continued to favor Barcelona in the Champions League. Barça finished second in the League Stage, with late wins against Borussia Dortmund and then the last second winner in the penultimate match against Benfica where they managed to overcome a 4-2 lead by scoring three times in the final 22 minutes. Their luck carried with the knockout stages draw where Barça avoided a clash against Paris Saint-Germain and other European heavyweights and instead landed a more manageable path with rematches against Benfica in the Round of 16 and then Borussia Dortmund in the Quarterfinals and then either Bayern Munich or Inter Milan looming in the Semi-Finals.

Thankfully, the rematch with Benfica was not as insane as their last encounter. Barça survived a Cubarsi red card early in the match that put them at a serious disadvantage in Portugal. However, the Blaugrana dug deep and withstood relentless pressure from the Portuguese side, Lady Luck smiled again when Raphinha scored at the hour mark from outside the box, with a bit of help from a slight deflection, and Wojciech Szczesny putting in a brilliant performance. The return leg was drama free as Barça won the second leg comfortably 3-1 and now await Borussia Dortmund in the Quarterfinals.

Lady Luck continued to smile on the Blaugrana during the Copa del Rey Semi-Finals.  In a wild encounter, Barça found themselves down 2-0 after just six minutes. However, they did not hang their heads down and instead battled back and scored four unanswered goals. It was then Atlético’s turn to have Lady Luck shine on them when they scored twice to force a draw with all to play for in the second leg in the capital.

Barcelona’s fighting spirit shone through in that game and the recent match away to Atlético where they found themselves down 2-0 again with 20 minutes to go courtesy of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Once again, Barça refused to play and scored twice to pull level with Atlético before Lady Luck smiled when Lamine Yamal’s effort took a wicked deflection to take the lead in stoppage time. Ferran Torres then scored the fourth and final goal of the game that also gave them the head-to-head tie breaker against Atlético.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck can’t always be there. Casado and Cubarsi are already injured and one can only hope that there won’t be any more injuries, especially with La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League still up for grabs. With a couple of months to go before the end of the season, we shall see if Lady Luck will continue to smile on the Blaugrana.

Barça starts 2025 with a bang and with doubts.

FC Barcelona has kicked off 2025 with a series of impressive results. The Blaugrana are unbeaten so far this year and have secured significant victories over Athletic, Real Madrid and Benfica. However, there are doubts about this team moving forward in different positions.

Barça may have ended 2024 in disappointing fashion, but 2025 have seen them excel as they to challenge for all three trophies this year after already capturing the Spanish Super Cup. Unbeaten in eight matches stretched between four different competitions, it seems that Barça may have found their grove back. Barça gave us an unforgettable commanding 5-2 win over Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa final and an exhilarating come from behind 4-5 victory in Portugal over Benfica in the Champions League. Barça finished second in their Champions League group and will enjoy a bye in the knockout stages.

The attacking duo of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal has been instrumental in Barcelona's recent success. Their synergy and creativity have consistently troubled opposition defenses, contributing crucial goals and assists. Midfielder Pedri is enjoying being the maestro orchestrating play with precision, dictating the tempo and linking defense with attack seamlessly, and it’s great to see the scrappy Gavi back in action. Even Frenkie de Jong has put in some decent performances recently which is a plus for the midfield. Defensively, Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, and Alejandro Balde have formed a formidable backline. Their performances have been pivotal in maintaining the team's defensive stability.

However, not all is well for the Blaugrana as there are lingering questions for Hansi Flick. Despite the positive outcomes, manager Hansi Flick still has a 7-point mountain to climb in the league standings. Furthermore, he has some difficult decisions to make regarding some of the players.

The first issue that Flick must deal with is the goalkeeper dilemma. The choice of the starting goalkeeper remains uncertain, as both Wojciech Szczęsny and Iñaki Peña have exhibited inconsistencies. Flick will have to get it right in who will command the goal the rest of the way.

Another area of concern is the defensive partnership in the center of the back four. After Iñigo Martínez went down with an injury, Flick was able to call up Ronald Araújo to fill in. However, who will Flick select when Martinez, Araújo and Christiansen are all fit to be the ideal partner for Pau Cubarsí in central defense. It is remarkable that the teenager Cubarsi is the sure bet while the other three have their flaws and injury history. Will Flick rotate partners or settle on one of the three to strengthen the backline.

The final concern is what Robert Lewandowski’s role will be during the second half of the season.  The veteran striker’s position in the starting lineup is under scrutiny and he usually disappears in the second half of the season. It doesn’t help that the Blaugrana seem to score more when he is not in the starting lineup. Flick will have to assess whether to continue with Lewandowski as a starter or perhaps utilize him as an impactful substitute, a super sup much akin to Henrik Larsson’s role in the past, and go with Ferran Torres up front or rely on a false 9 as a way to optimize the team's dangerous attack.

As Barcelona battles on all three fronts in the next few months, Flick’s decision about these areas will be essential for sustaining the Blaugrana’s momentum and achieving their objectives. The team's depth and talent provide a solid foundation, However, clarity in these areas will be pivotal for continued success.

All Hail Raphinha.

The Blaugrana Faithful are enjoying this great start by their beloved Barça. With a new manager, and a young star blossoming in front of our eyes, hopes were high. Barça’s great start to the season has been a wonderful surprise, but the bigger surprise has to be the player leading the charge when most expected him gone; Raphinha.

Barça fans were enthusiastic about the upcoming 2024-2025 season. Hansi Flick was hired to be the man in charge. Lamine Yamal was coming off winning Euro 2024 with Spain where he was voted Young Player of the Tournament, and Barça signed former youth player Dani Olmo, who shined at Euro 2024. Barça fans were also enthusiastic about the possibility of the signing of another key player from that triumphant Spanish side, Nico Williams at the expense of Raphinha being sold to another club.

Fast forward to today, and all the enthusiasm has been rewarded with Barça being league leaders and doing well in the Champions League. The Nico Williams transfer never went through, but thankfully Raphinha has not made us think of Nico once. So far this season, in just 12 matches in La Liga and Champions League, Raphinha has scored 9 goals and has 6 assists.

Raphinha could have easily sulked and complained about his situation and future at the club. Instead, he has been very professional and it had to be noticed by his teammates when they voted him to be one of the captains of the team. Raphinha has been sensational and will be wearing the captain’s armband in El Clasico at Madrid. If Raphinha continues to shine like this, it won’t be long before we start comparing him with other Brazilian Barça legends such as Romario, Ronaldo, Rivado, Ronaldinho and Neymar.

Barça’s First Test of the Season .

 

Barça is off to a great start to their season. Following their surprising goalless draw at home to Rayo Vallecano, the Blaugrana have been on a five-game winning streak with impressive wins on the road against Real Sociedad and Sevilla. Today, they kick off their second group stage match of their Champions League group stage, where they face their rivals for the trophy, Bayern Munich. Today will show us if Barça are back where they belong or still have work to do.

Barça are flying under Xavi. 4 wins and a draw to kick off their new league campaign and top of their Champions League group stage, on goal differential, after one match day while playing entertaining football (15 goals in La Liga and 5 goals in Europe) while conceding only one goal in each competition. It’s true that Real Sociedad and Sevilla are off to a poor start, but those grounds are usually a tough trip for the Blaugrana. Nonetheless, Xavi’s boys went there and got impressive victories there.

The Blaugrana are flying high with the new additions of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Koundé, Andreas Christensen, Héctor Bellerín, and Marcos Alonso. However, today Barça get their first true test of the season when they face Bayern Munich. The German side has been a thorn in Barcelona’s side for the past few seasons. Yesterday, Xavi said Allianz Arena wasn’t a house of horror for the Blaugrana. However, their record on Bayern Munich’s turf is horrendous with four losses and two draws on their last six trips with the aggregate score of 14-4 for the home side.

Today is the first true test for Xavi and the players. A loss would not be devastating since this is still a work in progress and it’s still early into the season. However, a win would give the team a bounce in their step and validation for FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta for all the risky financial measures to allow the club to become a powerhouse again. Roma wasn’t built in a day but today could pave the road for the club to become a powerful empire again.