With a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas on Saturday, Barcelona now has five wins on the bounce and sit alone atop La Liga. While it was a beginning to look like a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in recent weeks, Hansi Flick has led Barcelona back to the top of the league as it’s clear that this team are a genuine contender for domestic and European glory.
Saturday it was Dani Olmo who netted the decisive goal for Barcelona, but on any given day, any player in their attack can give defenses nightmares. From 17-year-old Lamine Yamal to 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski, and with a Ballon D’or contender in between in Raphinha, there’s no team in the world that wants to come up against Barcelona.
Even with their defensive issues, a mix of youth and experience alongside one of Europe’s most effective offside traps has been able to propel Barcelona to contend for everything. During the last five games in the league, they’ve won them all with 15 goals scored and just two conceded. Matches will get tougher with a Copa Del Rey clash with Atletico Madrid and the Champions League round of 16 where they’ll face Benfica, but there’s no reason to believe that Barcelona will fade when they do get tougher.
Facing Las Palmas, Barcelona were able to ride out physical challenges and avoid getting frustrated before a moment of brilliance from Olmo provided the lead. Smashing the ball off the bottom of the bar, Olmo finished off a Barcelona counter attack before Ferran Torres added an insurance goal.
Both players were introduced from the bench by Flick showing the manager’s impact in using Barcelona’s depth in the best way possible. Barcelona can mix and match to keep the team fresh and impact a game in different ways which is why they’ve been able to compete at a top level on so many fronts.
Flick is benefitting from inheriting a base built by Xavi Hernandez who helped bring the Barcelona youth players along, but his tactics have elevated the squad. It’s no easy job to live up to the pressure at Barcelona but Flick is thriving under it while the team is thriving under his leadership. Only time will tell if trophies follow, but they’re moving in the right direction.
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