How quickly everything changes. Last season, Xavi watched helplessly as his team fell apart while the media published daily stories about a dozen players the club wanted, yet everyone knew they wouldn’t come, because the financial scandals surrounding the club were more prevalent than transfer rumors. The entire transfer window passed in unrealistic dreams, with stories about the arrivals of Nico Williams, Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah… In the end, the only significant player who joined was Dani Olmo. But more importantly, Hansi Flick arrived, clearing out the gloomy atmosphere in the club and breathing a refreshing, Germanic brilliance into the team. Of course, there is also the contribution of Lamine Yamal and his performance at the European Championship. President Joan Laporta and his associates immediately realized they had to highlight this one truly beautiful story from the club amid the sea of problems. They probably never dreamed that Flick would add an entire collection of stories within a few months.UCL: Hansi’s Brutalona! Barca destroy Bayern the way nobody could possibly imagineBecause against Bayern, Jamal was phenomenal, but even better was Raphinha. A hat-trick against Bayern, with the captain’s armband on his arm—though for anyone but Flick, the Brazilian would likely be the last choice for that role—this season already with nine goals and eight assists in 13 games. Last season, he totaled 10 goals and 13 assists for the entire season. He played under Xavi, but he never felt as important, as valued. A similar story applies to Robert Lewandowski. Last season, he scored 26 goals, but this season he’s simply unstoppable. He already has 15 goals, and it’s only October, just a third of the season. Flick has simply managed to isolate the team from the catastrophic scandals in the club and instill in each player a fanatical desire to play good, beautiful football. He has made every player believe they deserve to be there, so much so that last night against Bayern, 21-year-old Marc Casadó looked like he had at least 100 Champions League matches under his belt, while we’re writing about 17-year-old Pau Cubarsí as if he’s been part of the team for seasons.4 – Raphina is the fourth player to score a hat-trick against FC Bayern in European Cup/UCL history, after Roy Makaay, Sergio Aguero and Cristiano Ronaldo. Star-hour. #FCBFCB pic.twitter.com/KnyIY1Rjbl— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) October 23, 2024 Alongside them were Iñaki Peña, Balde, Lamine Yamal, and Fermín López, meaning six players from the famous La Masia academy were in the starting lineup. Later, Dani Olmo, Gavi, and b came on—all three also from La Masia. It’s not quite like Tito Vilanova’s team from November 2012, where all 11 players were from La Masia (Valdés – Montoya, Piqué, Puyol, Alba – Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta – Pedro, Messi, Fàbregas), but we’re not far off. No one is dreaming of Nico Williams or Kimmich anymore because Barça looks like it has everything it needs. Their pressing is so intense that even Bayern didn’t know how to handle it. The back line is brave enough to play almost at midfield, leaving space behind for counterattacks, yet Barça runs hard. Against Bayern, they covered 126.55 kilometers—about six more than the Bavarians and 28 more than they ran when Bayern demolished them 8-2 in the 2019/2020 season.Bayern Munich already robbed in Barcelona, and the game hasn’t even startedThis is no longer that same team. There’s no “best in the world” player or seasoned veterans like Piqué, Busquets, or Alba. But there’s a youthful rebellion in the legs of Jamal and Fermín López, a sense of defiance from Lewandowski and Raphinha, and Flick’s German philosophy of grinding until the very end. After what they showed against Bayern, no one doubts it anymore—there’s potential here to challenge for trophies not just in Spain, but also in Europe. After all, the first El Clásico of the season against Real Madrid, featuring Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé, is coming up this Saturday. Real beat Barcelona in all three competitive matches last season, so Barça won’t have a better chance to start paying them back. And to confirm Jamal’s words after the triumph over Bayern:“We believe we are the best team in the world, and I think we’re showing that. And we’re going all out against Real.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – ROUND 3Wednesday17:30: (1.80) Braga (3.60) Bodo (4.60)17:30: (1.25) Galatasaray (6.50) Elfsborg (10.5)Thursday19:45: (1.17) Eintr.Frankfurt (8.00) Rigas (14.0)19:45: (3.05) Ferencvaros (3.35) Nice (2.35)19:45: (4.80) Maccabi T.A. (3.50) Sociedad (1.78)19:45: (2.20) Midtjylland (3.45) St.Gilloise (3.25)19:45: (2.00) PAOK (3.50) Plzen (3.70)19:45: (3.10) Qarabag (3.50) Ajax (2.25)19:45: (1.62) Roma (3.80) Dynamo Kyiv (5.80)22:00: (1.85) Anderlecht (3.50) Ludogorets (4.40)22:00: (1.85) Ath.Bilbao (3.50) Slavia Praha (4.40)22:00: (2.75) Fenerbahce (3.35) Man.Utd. (2.55)22:00: (2.80) Malmo (3.30) Olympiakos (2.55)22:00: (1.72) Olympique Lyon (3.70) Besiktas (5.00)22:00: (1.62) Porto (3.90) Hoffenheim (5.60)22:00: (1.50) Rangers (4.20) FCSB (6.75)22:00: (1.45) Tottenham (4.50) AZ Alkmaar (7.00)22:00: (2.75) Twente (3.30) Lazio (2.60)***odds are subject to change***
