Barcelona’s Turnaround

Barcelona have started their 24/25 La Liga season like a house on fire. The same can also be said about their start to the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. In La Liga so far this season they have accumulated 33 points in just 12 games, winning 11 and losing once to Osasuna 4-2 back at the end of September. They have scored 40 goals in the league which is an average of 3.33 goals per game and have conceded just 11 goals. In the UEFA Champions League Barcelona currently sit 6th in the league phase just 3 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Barcelona have 9 points, with 3 wins in a row after a loss on matchday 1 to Monaco, playing a large part of the match with 10 men. Their last 3 wins in the Champions League were 5-0 versus Young Boys, 4-1 versus Bayern Munich and 2-5 versus Crvena Zvezda. Barcelona look like a completely different side than what we have seen over the last few years.

Last Seasons Struggles

The 2023/2024 season was one of ups and downs, with the team ending their Champions League group stage as the Group H winners, securing its advance to the knockout stage for the first time in three years after they had failed to advance in the previous two seasons. In the knockout stage, they defeated Napoli 4–2 on aggregate in the round of 16 with their Champions League journey ending in the quarter-finals where they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain in part due to a Ronald Araújo red card in the second leg of tie, which tipped the scales in Paris' favour despite Barcelona's first leg win.

Elsewhere, Barcelona finished as runners-up in the Supercopa de España,and was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey in extra-time by the eventual winners Athletic Bilbao. In the league, they failed to defend last season's title, ending the season in second place, 8 points behind Real Madrid. It was Xavi's third, second full, and last season as the head coach of the team. Last season Xavi announced he would leave at the end of his contract which was due to expire in June of 2024.

However, on 24 April, after several days of speculation about whether or not he would continue as the club's manager following successive major defeats against PSG in the Champions League and in El Clásico against Real Madrid, Xavi reversed his decision to leave the club and announced his intention to fulfil his contract with Barcelona until the end of the following season after talks with club's hierarchy.However, on 24 May, he was relieved of his duties by club president Joan Laporta. This summed up Barcelona’s season, a mess on and off the pitch.

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona

Hansi Flick has taken charge of Barcelona and has been a breath of fresh air for the Spanish giants. They have only suffered one league defeat this season with 11 out of 12 wins leaving them top of the La Liga table by 9 points over bitter rivals Real Madrid, who they recently defeated 0-4 in the El Clasico at Real Madrid’s home the Bernabeu.

Barcelona are currently going strong in the UEFA Champions League with 3 wins out of 4 including a 4-1 demolition of Hansi Flick’s former club Bayern Munich. Flick was Bayern Munich manager when they embarrassed Barcelona 2-8 in the 2020 UEFA Champions League Quarter Final. Barcelona are free scoring, scoring 40 times in just 12 league games. They are on track to score 126 goals in the league at their current rate which would break the current La Liga record of 121 goals in a single season set by Real Madrid in the 2011-2012 season.

Barcelona have scored 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League, the most of anyone in the competition this season. Flick has brought the excitement back to Barcelona and has made them one of the favourites to lift the UEFA Champions League for the 6th time and end their 10 year drought for the trophy.

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✒️ Jack Guing – Football and GAA Sports Expert

Jack Guing has a strong knowledge of the sport of GAA through the lens of performance analysis with multiple GAA teams. He holds a master's degree in sports performance. He has a huge love of all things sports, especially golf, soccer and GAA. He uses statistics and performance analysis in order to predict the outcome of matches and events.