By Fernando Kallas
MADRID (Reuters) – Hansi Flick’s revitalised Barcelona have started the campaign with four consecutive LaLiga wins that have got fans excited and on Sunday they will make the one-hour drive to neighbours Girona for a Catalan derby aiming to avenge last season’s two defeats.
Girona secured a best-ever third-place finish last term and qualified for the Champions League for the first time but they started off the pace in the new campaign, drawing at Real Betis in their opener before losing 3-0 at Atletico Madrid.
However, they bounced back with solid wins against Osasuna and Sevilla and looked a lot like the exciting attacking side which took LaLiga by storm in their historic campaign.
Backed by the wealth of their Abu Dhabi owners and only four years after being promoted to the top flight, Girona went toe-to-toe with Real Madrid in the title race last season.
They also enjoyed beating Barca twice and contributed to their Catalan rivals’ trophyless campaign that ended with the controversial firing of manager Xavi Hernandez, a Barca great as a player but who left on bad terms with the club in disarray.
Struggling to comply with LaLiga’s strict Financial Fair Play rules, Barcelona had to let players like Ilkay Gundogan, Clement Lenglet and Vitor Roque go and could not re-sign Portugal’s Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo.
They made only one major addition in the transfer market – Spain attacking midfielder Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig.
EXCITING START
With all the talk surrounding Real Madrid, who added France captain Kylian Mbappe to an already star-studded squad that won a LaLiga-Champions League double, Barca fans were not optimistic after the club unveiled ex-Bayern Munich and Germany coach Flick to help them re-establish themselves at home and in Europe.
However, Barca started the season with an attacking lineup on fire, headed by rejuvenated striker Robert Lewandowski, who is LaLiga top scorer with four goals, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Olmo, who has shone after helping Spain win Euro 2024.
Brazilian forward Raphinha has also finally become the difference maker Barca hoped for when they paid 60 million euros ($66.16 million) to sign him from Leeds United two years ago.
Despite losing midfielder Fermin Lopez to a leg injury sustained during training with the Spain Under-21 team last week that will keep him out for about three weeks, Flick has all his other players back in one piece after international duty.
By contrast, Real’s 26-year-old centre back Eder Militao, out for most of last season with a torn ACL, is their latest injury victim, leaving Brazil’s training camp ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay due to a leg problem.
Midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Ceballos plus left back Ferland Mendy were injured in the 2-0 win over Real Betis two weeks ago, joining England’s Jude Bellingham, France’s Eduardo Camavinga and Austria’s David Alaba on the sidelines.
That leaves manager Carlo Ancelotti with a selection puzzle ahead of Saturday’s clash at Real Sociedad.
Barca are top with 12 points, four ahead of Real Madrid, Atletico and Villarreal and five above fifth-placed Girona.
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(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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