Next man up Barca show why they are title contenders

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No matter how bad their luck Hansi Flick and company keep on rolling

How much misfortune can one team suffer?

Barcelona and new manager Hansi Flick can’t catch a break to start the season. The list of injured players just got longer with Marc Andre ter Stegen going down with what could be a season-ending injury.

Losing your first choice goalkeeper would be absolutely devastating news for any team.

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And the Blaugrana will certainly be tested going forward. Recall that a year ago the season really started going south when the shot stopper was out for a few months around the turn of the new year. Iñaki Peña will once again get a chance to show his worth.

A month ago, I was worried that Barcelona was going into the season without a better number two on the roster to provide cover between the sticks.

I still have my doubts that Peña can be a future first choice selection for the Blaugrana, but I’m hopeful that the team will continue to prosper in the absence of Ter Stegen as they make a run for the title.

Last season, Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League with Thibaut Courtois missing for most of it. Granted, they had two strong options to turn to. Andriy Lunin ended up having a breakthrough season after beating out Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Barcelona doesn’t have the same luxury of depth at the position, but they do have a good thing going for themselves at the moment. A team spirit that’s keeping the success on the field going regardless of the names that are called upon on the stat sheet.

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On Sunday, we saw Pablo Torre, Gerard Martin, and Sergi Domínguez get their first starts of their Barca careers. And in the end, Barcelona thrashed Villarreal 5-1.

Torre scored an excellent goal, and added a clever assist, doing a great job overall combining with Pedri to control the midfield.

At the moment, it doesn’t seem to matter who Hansi Flick throws out there. The team continues to get the job done.

The loss to Monaco feels more like an aberration. One silly early mistake proved too costly to overcome.

The real pattern of this season has been a full roster of players being patient, waiting for their number to be called, and delivering.

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There is no individualism to this team, even though Lamine Yamal continues to make astonishing plays. I still can’t believe the outside of the foot, and over the top, assist he made to Raphinha.

Players are putting up big stats, with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski battling it out for leading scorer, but at any given time, it could be any player making the play that gives the team the advantage to win the game.

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Against Villarreal, Eric Garcia went flying in to keep a ball alive to allow Lewandowski to double his tally to make it 2-0 on the day. The same Eric who was sent off with a red card the game before.

But let’s not be naive either.

Losing Ter Stegen is a big deal. And Barcelona didn’t prepare properly for this possibility.

I believe in this team and this manager. But I also think we should not rely on the magic that we’ve seen in the first month.

It is shocking how the injuries continue to pile up, and yet, Flick keeps on winning.

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Now, it’s time for Joan Laporta to do his job.

Let’s see how good Iñaki can be over the next few months.

And when January arrives, be ready to support the manager and the team to help them go the distance.

It feels good though to be able to say that it doesn’t feel like the sky is falling. This team is going about the business of the game in the right way.

And they aren’t dependent on any one player.

Their best defense may in fact be their unstoppable goal scoring offense at the moment.

And should reassure us all going forward.

Source: barcablaugranes.com