Barcelona squad rankings: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Pau Cubarsi top our list

Barcelona have barely put a foot wrong since the new season started.

Eight matches, eight wins and 36 goals scored — an average of 4.5 per game. They have a perfect 21 points from 21 in La Liga and are already five points clear at the top in search of a third consecutive title. Their Champions League campaign began with a 5-1 home win over Feyenoord.

This is the best Barcelona side of the Hansi Flick era and one of the strongest of the past 15 years.

Before Barca return to action after the international break — they play Getafe at home on Saturday, with testing fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain on October 20 and Real Madrid on October 25 to come — it felt like a good time to take stock.

Here’s how Somtosport anks Barcelona’s squad right now.

Elite

Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi

We have to start with Raphinha.

Barcelona’s newly-appointed captain has scored 14 goals and provided three assists since being converted into the team’s No 9, a position he hadn’t regularly played before. He switched from the right wing to the left at Barca and now looks like one of the best strikers in the world.

The 29-year-old Brazilian’s goals have been important, but the same is true of his pressing and defensive work in the forward line.

Raphinha has scored 14 goals in eight games as the Spanish champions have started the season in exciting fashion

Lamine Yamal, 19, is Barca’s star and lynchpin, capable of doing the unexpected. He started the new term with a lacklustre performance against Elche but now seems to be reaching new heights, fresh from winning the World Cup. He has scored eight goals and provided six assists.

Cubarsi, also 19, is already the team’s best defender. Flick wants his centre-backs to initiate attacks, and Cubarsi excels at that. Just as he was for Spain at the World Cup, he is irreplaceable at Barca.

Excellent

Rodri, Pedri, Eric Garcia, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo

Rodri has been a top signing. He has become Barcelona’s most indispensable midfielder, providing a defensive anchor which allows the team to push further forward. Although Barca have not been truly tested yet this term, the hope is he can continue to control games against tougher opponents.

Pedri has set the team’s tempo over the last few years and still leads the midfield dynamic. With Rodri behind him, he has had more freedom to receive the ball higher up the pitch. He is the player Barcelona rely on.

Only Yamal, Raphinha and Joan Garcia have played more minutes than Pedri this term

Only Yamal, Raphinha and Joan Garcia have played more minutes than Pedri this termDavid Ramos/Getty Images

Eric Garcia has gone from having no place at Barcelona to excelling in several roles. He is a centre-back but has played as a defensive midfielder and a right-back. This season, he has secured the starting right-back spot at the expense of Jules Kounde and has also been named one of the team’s captains.

Fermin Lopez has earned a starting place too, sparking debate over whether he or Dani Olmo should be first choice. Fermin has scored four goals, while his contribution to the press and his ability to get into the box make him a potent danger. He missed the World Cup through injury and has returned hungry and in top form.

Flick had used Fermin when he wants someone to stir things up and step it up a gear, and Olmo when he wants to slow the game down. Both are in fine form. It is healthy competition that benefits the team.

Very good

Xavi Espart, Joao Cancelo, Andreas Christensen, Joan Garcia, Gabriel Jesus, Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi

Xavi Espart deserves a special mention. He made his definitive leap to the first team during pre-season and started the first five La Liga games. A 19-year-old midfielder who was converted into a right-back at La Masia, he has really impressed playing at left-back.

He has scored one goal and provided two assists, and is one of the big surprises of the new campaign. He is another player from the youth academy’s generation of players born in 2007, alongside Cubarsi, Yamal and Marc Bernal.

Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Bernal and Xavier Espart were born in 2007 and came through the club's academy

Joao Cancelo has also impressed since returning on a permanent deal this summer, scoring a stunning goal against Racing Santander on his first La Liga start. He is expected to be a regular this season.

Andreas Christensen suffered a left thigh strain against Sevilla on September 19, which was expected to rule him out for about a month. But he has been a regular and reliable partner to Cubarsi when called upon. Flick has a lot of faith in him. He’s technically very good, and was starting to regain his confidence.

Joan Garcia hasn’t yet had much of a chance to shine. He was rested against Sevilla due to a niggling knee injury, and with the team proving to be an offensive powerhouse, his role has been reduced.

Gabriel Jesus arrived at the last minute of the transfer window after Barca failed to sign Julian Alvarez, and was initially given a supporting role. However, his performances have been a surprise. He is the epitome of efficiency: he has only played 45 minutes and has already scored two goals.

Fellow new arrivals Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi also hit the ground running. Never before has a player won over the fans as quickly as Gordon, he has provided four assists but is yet to score his first goal, and it seemed to be taking a toll on his self-confidence in the lead-up to the break.

Why Barcelona fans love Anthony Gordon

Pol Ballús

Adeyemi has already scored three goals alongside two assists. Both are vying for the same left wing spot, and Gordon appears to be Flick’s preferred choice, although Adeyemi’s level has stepped up in recent matches.

Solid

Gavi, Marc Bernal, Gerard Martin, Dominik Livakovic

There is fierce competition in midfield. The player who has suffered the most — pending Frenkie de Jong’s return from injury — is Gavi. He has only played 82 minutes in three appearances. He did suffer a right knee injury and was left out of the squad for two games, but it looks difficult for him to get much more given the standard of his team-mates.

Gavi playing in Barca's season-opener at Elche on August 23

Gavi started Barca’s season-opener at Elche on August 23 but then suffered a knee problemPhoto by Francisco Macia/Getty Images

Marc Bernal’s role has also been reduced. He is still performing to a high standard, but Rodri’s arrival has had an impact. Bernal still has room for improvement and needs playing time to establish himself among the elite. He is Barcelona’s long-term prospect for the defensive midfield role now taken by the 30-year-old Spain captain.

Gerard Martin has had fewer minutes than Christensen but will still likely be Flick’s first choice to partner Cubarsi at the back, just as he was last season, especially if Christensen has injury worries. Flick absolutely trusts him and for that reason the search for another left-footed centre-back was put on hold this summer, but there is still room for improvement.

Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic arrived at the end of the transfer window and has only played one match against Sevilla, in which he didn’t have much to do.

Out of the picture

Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde, Wojciech Szczesny

Flick seems to have written off two players: Alejandro Balde and Kounde. Eric Garcia has taken Kounde’s spot at right-back, while Balde has gone from being a first-team regular to third-choice at left-back behind Espart and Cancelo.

Wojciech Szczesny is under the spotlight this season. The 36-year-old goalkeeper put in a performance below his usual standards when replacing the injured Joan Garcia against Racing Santander. He made a mistake that led to a goal in the 7–2 victory. Livakovic, 31, was selected for the next game, despite Flick having reiterated just days earlier that Szczesny was still Barcelona’s second-choice stopper.

Unavailable

De Jong has been out since June after suffering a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee at the World Cup with the Netherlands. Following Rodri’s signing in the summer, there is considerable uncertainty as to what his role will be once he has recovered.

In August, Roony Bardghji tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session. He was set to leave the club on loan, but this changed those plans.