Barça is in great shape, Barça is on a roll, Barça is fighting for the treble at its best, when it seems that its ability to compete can overcome anything. The arrival of Hansi Flick has been key to the good form of the Azulgranas, who are looking for four titles this season, having already won the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey.
In the Copa del Rey, they once again showed what kind of team they are, never giving up and fighting until the end. The Copa del Rey final at La Cartuja against Real Madrid started well for Barça, who went into the break ahead thanks to Pedri’s goal in the first half. In the second half, Real Madrid reacted with goals from Mbappé and Tchouaméni to turn the final around.
But if there is one thing that characterizes Hansi Flick’s Barça, it is their ability to fight and never give up, and a goal from Ferran Torres tied the game and forced extra time. In extra time, when it looked like the game was heading for penalties, Jules Koundé appeared as the unexpected hero to make it 3-2 and give the title to the Catalans. A goal from a right-back showed that at FC Barcelona, everyone is important.
And that is one of the keys to Barça’s success this season: being a TEAM. The Cup final was missing some big names, such as Alejandro Balde and Robert Lewandowski, but Hansi Flick’s alternatives performed at their best, with Ferran Torres even becoming one of the goalscorers of the night and the top scorer of the tournament.
The Cup final marked the return, more than 200 days later, of Ter Stegen to the Barça line-up. His injury was a blow, but the truth is that Barça has found the perfect replacement in Szczesny. The Polish goalkeeper has been a wall in many of the games that saw Barça go 24 games unbeaten.
Barça’s good form is also down to the great performances of many players who, just a few months ago, were considered expendable, such as Raphinha, Iñigo Martínez, De Jong and Pedri, who has rediscovered his best form and is now a compass in midfield.
On top of all this, Barça’s identity has been restored more than ever this season. The youth academy is key to a team now chasing the league and Champions League titles. Lamine Yamal, Balde, Gavi, Fermín, Cubarsí, Casadó, Bernal, Fort, Eric, and Olmo have all come through La Masia and are very young, but already have extensive international experience under their belts.
Barça is on a roll, and it remains to be seen how long this good run will last and whether they can achieve a treble that is no longer taboo at the club, where they are working hard to welcome Inter Milan and take a key step towards the Champions League final.