Barcelona progress report: Best players, underachievers and season performance so far

Things didn't look particularly rosy for Barcelona over the summer heading into a new season, but Hansi Flick's side have proved a lot of people wrong so far.

The Catalans looked to have fallen incredibly far behind Clasico rivals Real Madrid after their Spanish and European double was complemented by the free transfer arrival of Kylian Mbappe. Instead, however, a new Barca core has emerged and looks set to enjoy its own share of success over the next decade.

There have been some glorious highs already this term for Barca, but the odd low-point also hasn't been too far away.

Performance so far

After a bleak final few weeks under former manager Xavi Hernandez, Barca have exploded into life in their first months under new boss Flick. Three consecutive 2-1 victories arrived to start the campaign before a 7-0 thumping of Real Valladolid.

Their progress has been checked at occasional intervals, however.

The defeat to Monaco in the Champions League in September was Flick's first as Barca manager and was followed up three games later with a surprise loss at Osasuna.

But since then Barca have earned crushing victories over the likes of Young Boys, Sevilla, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in El Clasico, helping them to a six-point lead at the top of La Liga by the November international break.

Best players

A number of La Masia graduates have enjoyed wonderful starts to the campaign. Pau Cubarsi and Marc Casado have slipped into the team seamlessly, but it's undoubtedly in forward areas where Barca have impressed the most.

Lamine Yamal has continued on his path to superstardom with more awesome displays this season, linking up exceptionally well with the devastating Robert Lewandowski up front. That duo has been complemented by Brazilian flier Raphinha, who has found the back of the net seven times in La Liga and even taken the captain's armband as a senior figure in the squad.

Underachievers

He's not been fit enough to prove his doubters wrong just yet, but there's undeniably more to come from summer signing Dani Olmo. The Euro 2024 winner arrived in the summer from RB Leipzig but has only managed six La Liga appearances and two cameos in the Champions League, albeit still scoring five times in Spain's top flight.

Ferran Torres has been left dazed in the wake of Yamal, Lewandowski and Raphinha's forward triumvirate and continues to be linked with a move away, while Frenkie de Jong has also taken some time to get fit again after missing a large chunk of the year.

There's also the sense goalkeeper Inaki Pena could soon lose his starting role after Marc-Andre ter Stegen's season-ending injury. The 25-year-old has looked nervy at best and could be swapped out for Wojciech Szczesny at any point.

Season expectations

After a trophy-less 2023/24 campaign, Barca look primed to bring silverware back to Catalonia this season.

Flick has renewed the energy in the squad with his discipline and tactical tweaks, getting the best out of his senior stars while blooding young talent into the starting XI. There's a lot to like about Barca right now, but things could still unravel quickly if they aren't careful.

Off-field drama has proved to be a major distraction for the five-time Champions League winners in recent history, but if they can avoid any nonsense between now and the end of the season, there's no limit to what the likes of Lewandowski and Yamal could inspire them towards.

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