Stat attack – Hansi Flick’s Barcelona no better than Xavi’s after 18 La Liga games | OneFootball

After taking over from Xavi Hernandez in the summer, Hansi Flick initially brought fresh optimism to FC Barcelona, with the early form suggesting that the Catalans would run away with the La Liga title.

But the team has struggled in recent league matches, earning just five points from the last 18 available. This slump has allowed rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid to catch up in the title race.

No better than Xavi’s Barcelona

Currently, following their shock 0-1 defeat to Leganes on Sunday night in La Liga, Flick’s Barcelona have 38 points from 18 matches.

It happens to be the same number of points as Xavi’s team had collected at this point last season.

The key difference is that Barcelona lead the league table and have a superior goal difference as well compared to last season, but they have played a game more than Atletico and Real Madrid.

Last year, at this stage, Girona and Real Madrid had 45 points, while Barça were in fourth place, level with Atletico on 38 points.

Flick’s Barça have the same number of points as Xavi’s team last season at this stage. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

If the two Madrid teams win their game in hand, the Blaugrana would drop to third place.

Despite the recent struggles, this Barça is more attractive to watch, as shown by their attacking stats. Flick’s team has scored 50 goals and conceded 20, while Xavi’s team at this stage had scored 34 and shipped in 21 goals.

A starker comparison comes when looking back to the 2022-23 season, when Xavi’s Barça won the La Liga title. At the 18-match mark that season, Barcelona were top with 47 points, ahead of Real Madrid with 44 and Real Sociedad with 28.

Barcelona went on to win La Liga that season with 88 points, 10 ahead of second-placed Los Blancos.

Flick’s Champions League journey

It remains to be seen how Hansi Flick’s Barça fares in the Champions League. So far, the Catalans have enjoyed a positive run in Europe, sitting second in the league phase table with five wins from six games.

Currently, they are well-placed to finish in the Top 8 and progress directly to the knockout rounds.

Xavi’s team also advanced to the 2023-24 Champions League quarterfinals, defeating Napoli in the first knockout round, before being eliminated by PSG, a tie marked by Ronald Araujo’s red card in the second leg at Montjuïc.