Hansi Flick close to making Barcelona history after latest win
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick enjoyed yet another La Liga win on Wednesday night, watching his team secure what was ultimately a comfortable 1-0 scoreline against Getafe.
Robert Lewandowski scored the only goal of the game inside the opening 20 minutes, but Barca controlled 78% of possession and limited the visitors from Madrid to a single shot on target.
It was a seventh straight victory of the new league season for the Catalans, maintaining their early four-point lead over rivals Real Madrid – the reigning champions dropped points twice in August.
Seven is the same number of consecutive wins as Ernesto Valverde at the start of 2017/18, seemingly not hindered by the loss of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain that summer. Barcelona ended the season with a domestic league and cup double to add to the trophy room.
One more win for Flick, against Osasuna on the road on Saturday evening, would make it eight in his first eight La Liga games. Only one manager in Barcelona history has ever previously achieved that feat – Gerardo ‚Tata‘ Martino at the start of the 2013/14 campaign.
Sadly for Martino, despite the perfect start in La Liga, he didn’t enjoy any trophy success beyond the Supercopa de Espana and stepped down after only one season. He is currently the manager of Inter Miami, where he has reunited with Lionel Messi.
Flick’s run has been pretty remarkable in the circumstances. The summer saw Barcelona again struggle to recruit amid ongoing financial limitations, with the squad further stripped back and La Masia products bulking out an otherwise threadbare first-team.
It is testament to his ability to nurture talent and bring the best out of players.
Barca are yet to face Real Madrid or Atletico, but have beaten Athletic Club, who separate the pair of Madrid giants in third place in the current table.
Villarreal’s only defeat of the season so far is the 5-1 annihilation at the hands of the Catalans, while Girona have only really started struggling since their 4-1 defeat to Flick’s side. Valencia, Rayo Vallecano, Real Valladolid are the others that Barcelona have faced and beaten this season.