Can Hansi Flick’s Barcelona dethrone Actual Madrid?

As defending Spanish and European champions, and with a squad boosted by the signing of the participant many understand to be the world’s finest, logic would dictate that Actual Madrid are going to take some stopping this season.

They’re the clear favourites to win LaLiga once more in keeping with the most recent soccer betting odds. Even essentially the most ardent of Barcelona or Atletico Madrid supporters would battle to make a case for saying that Los Blancos don’t have the perfect squad in Spain.

Current historical past nevertheless, suggests it could be very untimely to put in writing this season off as one other title procession for Carlo Ancelotti’s facet who completed 10 factors away from their nearest rivals final time period.

It’s in spite of everything 16 years since Actual Madrid efficiently defended a league title. The present expectation that they are going to finish that wait, solely actually mirrors the start of the 2022/23 season once they have been additionally recent from profitable the massive two prizes, however would go on to complete a distant 2nd behind Xavi’s Barca.

The extensively perceived failure of their Galactico period within the early 2000’s, and a variety of different more moderen blockbuster additions, additionally casts doubt on the assertion that Kylian Mbappe can solely enhance this facet.

The proper begin for Flick

We head into the primary worldwide break of the season, with Barcelona using excessive after a 100% begin underneath new boss Hansi Flick. They pause for breath, with an surprising 4 level cushion on the Madrid golf equipment, a situation that will have been past Flick’s wildest desires when he watched his facet stoop to a 3-0 house defeat towards Monaco of their closing pre-season recreation simply three weeks in the past.

With accidents already mounting and the now customary registration points stopping him from fielding Barca’s solely main summer time signing, the prospect of a sluggish begin to the Flick period regarded attainable, if not possible.

Not least, once they fell behind to Valencia at Mestalla on the opening weekend, however Barca dug deep to win their opening three matches 2-1, earlier than blowing Actual Valladolid aside with a 7-0 demolition job on Saturday.

Olmo defying the doubters

Nonetheless working underneath an enormous monetary cloud, there have been many who doubted the logic in Barcelona spending €55m this summer time on an attacking midfield participant, an space of the pitch the place they already had extra cowl than every other.

Throw in Dani Olmo’s disappointing complete return of simply 9 objectives and 13 assists throughout the final three Bundesliga seasons mixed, and it was on many ranges a baffling transfer given the obvious lack of defensive midfield choices or cowl for 36-year-old striker Robert Lewandowski.

First impressions nevertheless, recommend that Dani Olmo was not simply the correct signing, however the excellent quantity 10 for a extra energetic and extra dynamic Barca underneath Flick.

His skill to press and canopy extra floor makes him a logical addition and after solely 128 minutes of LaLiga motion, it’s already clear why the previous Bayern boss noticed transferring Ilkay Gundogan on, and bringing Olmo in, as a logical transfer when it comes to stamping his mark on this facet.

Olmo’s affect has been immediate. He helped his boyhood group come from behind to defeat bogey facet Rayo Vallecano in midweek, earlier than one other all-action show noticed the previous RB Leipzig man once more get on the scoresheet within the rout of Actual Valladolid.

The vigorous link-up play with Lamine Yamal that we noticed in Spain’s Euro 2024 profitable facet has seamlessly reworked into Blaugrana colors and the early indicators are that Barcelona imply severe enterprise this season underneath Flick.

How this title race might take form

A vibrant begin from Barcelona, some encouraging indicators at Atletico Madrid following a really busy summer time, mixed with some early teething issues for Mbappe period Actual Madrid, factors in the direction of a way more thrilling LaLiga title race this season.

These are very early days, however there are some huge video games on the horizon that ought to give us a a lot clearer concept of the relative degree of the three groups anticipated to problem.

Barcelona return from the worldwide break with their hardest take a look at to this point, within the type of a visit to Catalan rivals Girona who defeated them twice final season. Actual Madrid do likewise, travelling to the Reale Enviornment to tackle Actual Sociedad, of their subsequent match.

There’s additionally a tough journey to unbeaten Villarreal for Barca, in addition to a Madrid derby on the Estadio Metropolitano, earlier than the tip of the September.

Barring an unlikely collapse from Flick’s facet over the approaching weeks, they need to nonetheless be at worst level-pegging with Actual Madrid heading into El Clasico in October which is already shaping as much as be probably the most eagerly anticipated conferences in a few years.

By way of the larger image, a lot will depend upon how Mbappe’s integration and the mandatory tactical tweaks progress on the Santiago Bernabeu, the place they’re additionally making an attempt to determine the best way to fill a giant Toni Kroos formed gap in midfield.

Nevertheless, Ancelotti and his workers will likely be quietly assured that there will likely be many bumps within the street forward for his or her rivals, not least given the newly expanded schedule of the Champions League which additionally kicks into life later this month.

Whereas they do look just a little bit gentle on cowl once more in central defence, Actual Madrid showcased final season that their squad may be very a lot as much as the duty of going the space on two fronts and rising to the problem when it issues most. Whether or not Flick really has enough instruments at his disposal to do likewise is rather more uncertain.

For now, cautious optimism is maybe one of the best ways to explain the temper in Barcelona. It’s solely a begin, but it surely has been a really encouraging one and serves as a tasty appetiser for what might lie forward this season on the prime finish of the Spanish prime flight.