Under the leadership of Hansi Flick, FC Barcelona have managed to reach heights no one would have expected of them this season. Such is the impact that the German coach has had on the Catalan club over the course of this ongoing campaign. However, there are certain things that make this Barcelona team as special as it is.
Beyond just the dedication of the squad as a whole and the fact that Hansi Flick is a coach known for his precision, this Barcelona team has been efficient in many different departments. Ultimately, this efficiency and end-product is exactly what has given them the huge victories that they have enjoyed in recent days.
First came the win over Sevilla, a 5-1 trampling, and that game was then followed by a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich, a massive hurdle for Barcelona in Europe over the last couple of years. However, the icing on the cake was understandably the El Clasico, a game in which Barcelona annihilated Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Given these strong results, Mundo Deportivo has now highlighted the five key statistics that show just how special and inevitable this new-look Barcelona team truly is.
The danger of their goals:
So far this season, Barcelona have won 12 out of the 14 games that Hansi Flick has coached. Moreover, in 7 of those games, Barcelona have ended up winning by a margin of 3 goals or more. This particular statistic just goes on to show the relentless nature of this team, and just how merciless it can be when it starts clicking.
Their attacking trident:
Since the days of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar Jr, this current attacking trident that Barcelona has is the most productive that the club has seen. With the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal all scoring goals for fun, they seem unstoppable.
At the moment, the three of them have scored 33 goals between them across all competitions, and Bayern Munich’s trio comes second in this regard with 25 goals. In Spain alone, Barça’s trio has scored 25 goals while second-placed Real Madrid has only managed 14.
Their best start in years:
Moreover, in terms of goals yet again, Barcelona have collectively scored 47 goals this season so far. This number was last matched by Luis Enrique’s team back in the 2016-2017 season, and it must be remembered that it was a team that included the likes of Messi, Neymar Jr, and Suarez. Moreover, this is only the second time in the last 25 years that Barcelona have won 12 out of their opening 14 games.
Their ace striker:
Robert Lewandowski, after being heavily critiqued for his output in the previous season and his attitude at times on the field as well, has now completely turned things around for himself. Currently having scored 17 goals in 14 official appearances, he has a strong case to be labelled the world’s best striker right now in this moment.
Already edging close to his best ever season as a footballer, he can reach even greater heights if he maintains this consistency for the rest of the season.
Their offside trap:
Flick’s trump card and the special tactic that continues to make this Barcelona feel like a unique kind of monster, the offside trap that this team deploys is rather scary to compete against. Against Real Madrid, it was on full display yet again as Los Blancos were left frustrated on 12 different occasions during their 4-0 thrashing.
So far in La Liga this season, La Blaugrana have managed to catch their opponents offside on 77 different occasions, the highest figure across Europe’s top five leagues with 35 offsides being the closest challenger from the second-placed team.