Three talking points from Girona 1-4 Barcelona

Five out of five!

Let’s be honest, there’s not one culer amongst this Blaugrana fraternity that would’ve predicted the same ahead of the start of the 2024/25 La Liga season.

How quickly expectations can change too, as now there’d likely be total disappointment in a reverse.

The way that Hansi Flick’s side are playing, however, it’s going to take an awfully good team to knock them off their perch.

Seemingly it was only a little more order to Barca’s play and one or two personnel changes that were required to turn the squad into a well-oiled and convincing machine.

Girona were supposedly going to be the real test, but on the day they were anything but.

Verticality the key

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Although everyone would love to see the return of tiki-taka and Barcelona taking opponents apart with their rondos, that isn’t necessarily something that Flick subscribes to.

Witness the way in which his team gets from back to front in the most efficient manner. Even Lamine Yamal highlighted his team’s directness after seeing off Girona.

As long as the end result is what’s required there won’t be too many complaints, and after another four goals on Sunday, it’d take a brave man to argue against the more vertical way of playing (notwithstanding that there were some pretty fabulous passing moves on show too).

More concentration needed from the full-backs

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For all of the attacking intent of both Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde, both remain susceptible at the back.

The latter’s speed can often get him out of a hole, but the need to want to push on at every opportunity has often led to opponents being able to get in behind and either create chances or take them themselves.

Another case in point came at Montilivi.

Although it was Inigo Martinez that allowed players in behind more centrally on that occasion, Balde was some seven or eight yards upfield and not in line with his defensive colleagues, giving Girona the space to run into which, ultimately, handed them their consolation.

Learning to master the primary role of defending must be a consideration before lauding the full-backs for their marauding runs forward... which often come to nothing.

Less reliance on Lewy

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If there’s one thing that has defined Barcelona over the past couple of seasons, it’s the reliance on Robert Lewandowski.

The Polish international is always going to be amongst the goals, but with five games gone in the season, it’s refreshing to see Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Jules Kounde and Ferran Torres already on the scoresheet.

Ensuring a wider spread of goal scorers and players who can assist evidently makes Barcelona much more of a potent, and less obvious, threat going forward.