Flick has strong pairs and Barcelona benefits from the strength of substitutes

FC Barcelona continues to make a strong start in the third season under coach Hans Flick, having scored five goals in four of their first five matches, benefiting from a squad that includes substitutes in most positions and strong competition for places.

According to "Mundo Deportivo", Flick has at least four positions without a fixed starter, the most notable being the playmaker role, which sees competition between Fermín López and Dani Olmo. Fermín has started three matches, compared to two for Olmo, and in the match against Valencia, the former scored one goal and provided two assists, while Olmo delivered two key passes after coming on as a substitute.

In midfield, Bernal's brilliance allows Rodri to avoid heavy minutes, while Flick rotates between Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon on the left flank, with the Englishman starting three matches and the German two.

In defence, Gerard Martin started the season as a regular, but Christensen's brilliance may push him to compete for a place in the lineup, while Espart and Cancelo alternate on the left flank, and Baldé has not yet entered the competition.

The strength of the substitutes is also evident in the scoring department, as FC Barcelona has scored 22 goals so far, with half of them coming after the first substitution, reflecting the close impact between the starters and the substitutes.

Before the first substitution, FC Barcelona scored a goal against Elche and Athletic Bilbao, and three goals against Rayo Vallecano, Valencia, and Feyenoord. After the substitutions, they scored one goal against Athletic and two goals against Rayo, Valencia, and Feyenoord. Elche's four goals came under different circumstances after Gavi had to leave the pitch just before the end of the first half.