Can Hansi Flick’s Barcelona dethrone Real Madrid?

We head into the first international break of the season, with Barcelona riding high after a 100% start under new boss Hansi Flick. They pause for breath, with an unexpected four point cushion on the Madrid clubs, a scenario that would have been beyond Flick’s wildest dreams when he watched his side slump to a 3-0 home defeat against Monaco in their final pre-season game just three weeks ago.

With injuries already mounting and the now customary registration issues preventing him from fielding Barca’s only major summer signing, the prospect of a slow start to the Flick era looked possible, if not probable.

Not least, when they fell behind to Valencia at Mestalla on the opening weekend, but Barca dug deep to win their opening three matches 2-1, before blowing Real Valladolid apart with a 7-0 demolition job on Saturday.

Still operating under a huge financial cloud, there were many who doubted the logic in Barcelona spending €55m this summer on an attacking midfield player, an area of the pitch where they already had more cover than any other.

Throw in Dani Olmo’s disappointing total return of just nine goals and 13 assists across the last three Bundesliga seasons combined, and it was on many levels a baffling move given the apparent lack of defensive midfield options or cover for 36-year-old striker Robert Lewandowski.

First impressions however, suggest that Dani Olmo was not just the right signing, but the perfect number 10 for a more energetic and more dynamic Barca under Flick.

His ability to press and cover more ground makes him a logical addition and after only 128 minutes of LaLiga action, it’s already clear why the former Bayern boss saw moving Ilkay Gundogan on, and bringing Olmo in, as a logical move in terms of stamping his mark on this side.

Olmo’s impact has been instant. He helped his boyhood team come from behind to defeat bogey side Rayo Vallecano in midweek, before another all-action display saw the former RB Leipzig man again get on the scoresheet in the rout of Real Valladolid.

The lively link-up play with Lamine Yamal that we saw in Spain’s Euro 2024 winning side has seamlessly transformed into Blaugrana colours and the early signs are that Barcelona mean serious business this season under Flick.

A bright start from Barcelona, some encouraging signs at Atletico Madrid following a very busy summer, combined with some early teething problems for Mbappe era Real Madrid, points towards a much more exciting LaLiga title race this season.

These are very early days, but there are some big games on the horizon that should give us a much clearer idea of the relative level of the three teams expected to challenge.

Barcelona return from the international break with their toughest test to date, in the form of a trip to Catalan rivals Girona who defeated them twice last season. Real Madrid do likewise, travelling to the Reale Arena to take on Real Sociedad, in their next match.

There’s also a tricky trip to unbeaten Villarreal for Barca, as well as a Madrid derby at the Estadio Metropolitano, before the end of the September.

Barring an unlikely collapse from Flick’s side over the coming weeks, they should still be at worst level-pegging with Real Madrid heading into El Clasico in October which is already shaping up to be one of the most eagerly anticipated meetings in many years.