Bellingham scores against Racing, who are 16th in the league: Legendary, incredible, brilliant, the best. Fermín scores and provides two assists against Alavés, who are 10th: A player who only scores against small clubs.

This is the same Racing Santander side we scored seven goals against, creating endless chances and recording 30 shots. Back then, we had a fully fit squad. Our entire backline was available, Olmo was fit, our front line was at full strength, Raphinha wasn’t injured, Lamine was well rested, and both Pedri and Rodri were fresh. We will return to our best level once our injured players come back. We have already shown what this team is capable of when everyone is available.

The good news is that Christensen has recovered from his injury and will be available for the Atlético Madrid game. Even better, Hansi Flick could start Pedri, Rodri and Frenkie de Jong together in midfield. Yesterday, we saw a completely different level of football from Barcelona. The team played with more control, moved the ball smoothly, managed the tempo and had more passing options. Frenkie made a huge difference, even though he was playing as a centre-back. Now imagine having him back in his natural midfield position alongside Rodri and Pedri. The Atlético game could mark the beginning of a new era for our midfield, with the return of the 4-3-3 formation and memories of the legendary Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets trio.

More positive news for Barcelona after yesterday’s victory over Alavés! Andreas Christensen has returned to training with the group. While his inclusion in the squad for the Aston Villa game remains unlikely, there is still a small chance he could make it. He is, however, expected to be included in the squad for the Atlético Madrid game and should be fully available to play. 😍

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City won the Premier League because they consistently beat teams like Crystal Palace, Brentford, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Everton. Arsenal won the Premier League because they managed to do the same, even though they dropped points against their direct title rivals. Barcelona won La Liga last season for the same reason. They consistently beat teams like Levante, Espanyol, Celta, Athletic Bilbao and Betis, as well as picking up wins away against Villarreal, Elche, Getafe and Osasuna. They did all this despite losing to their direct rivals during the season. By the time the return fixture came around, the title race was already decided. That’s how you win leagues: through consistency, mentality and the ability to collect points week after week, especially against the teams you’re expected to beat. It’s not just about proving yourself against the biggest opponents. This constant attempt to downplay Barcelona’s winning streaks and big victories in La Liga is getting ridiculous. The funny thing is that those making these arguments would love to see their own teams win games consistently and by big margins. But instead of acknowledging what Barcelona are doing, they take the easier route and try to diminish it.

I genuinely feel like Gavi’s time at Barcelona could be coming to an end. Flick seems to be preferring Bernal over him, and he is no longer giving Gavi the minutes or opportunities he needs to regain his form and find his rhythm again. It feels like Flick has slowly lost faith in him and no longer sees him as a player he can rely on. Sadly, the situation is starting to look very similar to what happened with Balde. It’s heartbreaking to see a player who once represented so much potential, passion and fighting spirit for Barcelona gradually become an afterthought. Gavi deserves so much better. 💔

Barcelona must do everything possible to keep Raphinha out of the upcoming international break. After recovering from injury, Raphinha has finally returned to his best level, and Barça need him fully fit for the crucial games ahead in both La Liga and the Champions League. His absence has exposed just how much the team struggles without his quality and attacking output. Raphinha is one of the most important players in Flick’s attacking system, especially when it comes to turning chances into goals. Barcelona cannot afford to risk losing him to another injury. He’s already enjoying a historic season, leading the La Liga scoring charts with 15 goals in his first 10 games. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 18 goals 11 years ago, and Lionel Messi, 13 years ago, have reached that level over the same period. Raphinha’s impact in front of goal has been extraordinary. Barça must do everything they can to keep him fit.

Hansi Flick has turned Barcelona into an attacking machine! Barcelona have played 14 games in La Liga and the Champions League this season, scoring 58 goals. That’s an average of more than 4 goals per game, the best scoring rate among Europe’s top leagues. In La Liga, Barça have scored 46 goals in 11 games, created 68 big chances and recorded an xG of 39.8, the highest in Europe. They’re also averaging more than 8 shots on target per game. Raphinha leads the league’s scoring charts with 15 goals. What’s even more impressive is that Barcelona have missed 38 big chances, more than any other team in Europe. Just imagine their goal tally if they had been more clinical in front of goal. Converting only half of those missed chances would have taken them past 60 league goals already! At this rate, Barcelona could even challenge Real Madrid’s historic record of 121 goals in a single La Liga season under José Mourinho. Flick’s team are producing numbers we haven’t seen in years!

Lamine Yamal figured it out early. He understands that goals and assists, and putting up big numbers, are what ultimately win you the Ballon d’Or! Yamal is having an absolutely incredible season statistically. Yesterday, he scored twice and provided an assist against Alavés, making it the FIFTH game this season in which he has both scored and assisted! And here’s the crazy part: Lamine Yamal is currently Europe’s highest goal contributor with 28 G/A, scoring 16 goals and providing 12 assists. He’s also right in the race for the La Liga top scorer award alongside Raphinha and Mbappé. And we’re only two months into the season! Yamal is now getting closer to the centre, finding more shooting positions, receiving the ball between the lines and taking more shots from outside the box. He’s attacking the far post when crosses come in and making runs towards the six-yard box during transitions. His game is no longer just about individual brilliance out wide. This season, Yamal has become a genuine goalscoring machine! If he maintains these incredible numbers and wins a trophy or two, especially the Champions League, the Ballon d’Or could be his, making him the youngest player ever to win the award!

This is becoming the season of outstanding full-backs at Barcelona, all products of the world’s best academy: La Masia. After watching Xavi Espart continue to impress under Hansi Flick, including in big games, he has reached a level where there is growing confidence that Barcelona have a special right-back coming through the academy. Yesterday, 20-year-old Fariñas got his opportunity and made an excellent impression in his first appearance at right-back. He showed great confidence, adapted quickly to the system and already looked comfortable alongside his teammates, especially Lamine Yamal. It’s too early to make big claims, but his technical quality, confidence and tactical intelligence are very encouraging signs. Hopefully, he keeps developing and gets more opportunities.

This is the first time I’ve seen a manager do things the other way around. Flick seems to love giving Rodri 90 minutes against the weaker teams. He’s started and completed the full game against Alavés, Racing and Levante, yet somehow rested him against PSG. Now what’s the plan? Give him another 90 minutes against Aston Villa and rest him at the Metropolitano? Or leave him out against Villa and start him against Atlético? Or are you just trying to get him injured so you can finally get him out of your plans? 😂 Anyway, Gavi seems to be gradually falling out of Flick’s plans…

I refuse to believe that Fermín López is a player who simply disappears in big games or suddenly produces performances so far below his actual level. Just look at what he does in La Liga. He’s a superstar, doing almost everything on the pitch: playing beautiful football, taking on defenders, scoring from difficult angles and creating chances out of nothing. That’s what makes his performances against big teams so difficult to understand. How can a player score some of the most difficult goals yet miss relatively easy one-on-one chances, like the one against PSG? Sometimes you genuinely wonder if you’re watching the same player. I believe this is more of a mental issue than a footballing one. There’s something holding him back when he faces the biggest teams, perhaps the pressure or fear of making mistakes. If Fermín can overcome that mental barrier and play with the same freedom and confidence he shows in La Liga, I’m convinced he’ll become a decisive player for us in the UCL.

Two goals, one assist and 3 successful dribbles out of 4, while he’s still dealing with losing the Ballon d’Or, losing El Clásico and the game against PSG, and facing criticism, mockery and insults from football fans all over the world, including Barcelona fans themselves. Every time Lamine scores after going through difficult moments, he kisses the club badge. He always does it after every setback or disappointment. To this day, I still don’t understand how a Barcelona fan can have even the slightest bit of hatred towards this man or wish for him to fail. Before being a Barcelona player, he’s one of us. He’s a Barça fan himself.

They said: “You are beating Alavés 4-0 in one half. Where were you against Real Madrid?” Barcelona scored 4 goals against Madrid in a single half 3 times in one season. We didn’t even do that against Alavés or Getafe.

Bayern lost, Arsenal lost, Man City lost, Liverpool lost. But whenever Barcelona lose, the criticism and outrage go on for an entire year. And now I’m seeing comments like: “Why didn’t we score against Madrid or PSG?” “I’m not celebrating today’s goals. I’m still angry and disappointed about those defeats.” All of this is happening while the team is dealing with a serious injury crisis, particularly in defence: Koundé, Eric García, Espart, Christensen and Olmo. We dropped just 3 points, nothing more, nothing less. We’re still top of La Liga. Even PSG dropped points. This isn’t the Champions League. Enough with the negativity. Support your team and enjoy watching Barça.

Despite not being particularly aggressive in his defensive challenges, De Jong’s ball control, tactical awareness and ability to read the game make him a better fit than Gerard Martín as a defender in Flick’s system.

Imagine the refereeing bias in Spain favoring Madrid… A player already on a yellow enters the box, goes down looking for a penalty, yet somehow avoids a second yellow and a red card. It feels impossible to get through a Madrid game without some kind of refereeing controversy.

Rodri isn’t stupid enough to choose a chaotic midfield that can’t even build out from the back or control the tempo of a game. He made the right decision by choosing Barcelona. Madrid are still struggling and still look like the same team from last season. Hundreds of millions spent, yet nothing has really changed. They needed a stoppage time winner against Espanyol, and even that came down to pure luck.