Deep dive: How Barcelona’s new trio is the best in the world and proving to be unstoppable | OneFootball

Barcelona have borne witness to some of the most prolific and devastating attacking trios in football history.

Pep Guardiola’s Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto ran riot on their way to the treble in 2008/09 and were followed up with another Champions League-winning trident of David Villa, Messi and Pedro in 2010/11.

Then of course, came arguably the most devastating trio the game has ever seen in Messi-Suarez-Neymar or ‘MSN’ as they were feared, unleashed by Luis Enrique.

After three years of unbridled chemistry and bucket loads of goals and special moments including another treble for the club’s history books, Neymar left the club in 2017 for Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Messi and Luis Suarez behind.

As we have come to know it, that was the last of the amazing trios that Barcelona had seen. Well, the last one until Hansi Flick came along and gave the fans a reason to be excited.

Apart from the scintillating brand of football Barcelona have played this season, Flick must be credited with getting the absolute best out of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha as a unit.

Barcelona have scored a ton of goals in only a handful of games, blowing teams away at will and this newly-assembled trio has been a huge reason for the team’s blistering firepower.

As defences continue to ponder, what is the secret behind Europe’s most potent attacking unit?

A complete trio

Lewandowski, Raphinha and Yamal have been fantastic. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s current front three’s ridiculous efficiency isn’t a coincidence. Neither it is anything like the ones we have seen before play for the garnet-and-blue.

The trio of Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha are profiles that are seamlessly complimentary to that of the other.

Lamine Yamal, at mere 17 years of age, holds the keys to creativity in the team. Be it to prise open a low-block or take a swipe and dribble through the defences of some big teams and put some esteemed defenders to shame.

Raphinha runs and boy does he run a lot. If Yamal creates, then Raphinha is the man who looks to get at the end of those chances.

His movement is incredibly sharp and his eagerness to get into goalscoring positions has boosted his offensive numbers sky-high and at a ridiculous rate.

Apart from his movement, Raphinha has matured into a creative force as well, supplementing the wonderkid from the left with his most potent weapon, crossing.

Not to forget, how immensely clutch his goal contributions have proved to be this season. With the armband on his sleeve, captain Raphinha is a true leader and borderline unstoppable.

Then comes Robert Lewandowski the veteran and target man of this attacking unit. Through his innate understanding of positioning, the Pole offers a stationary threat to the opposition.

His position at times occupies the central defenders, providing space and time to the havoc-wreakers on either side of him, or he might drop to hold-up play and sustain attack in the opponent’s half before laying it off to his creative generals.

All of this, without mentioning his menacing goalscoring prowess has once again shown in these three months of 2024/25 so far.

As we have all come to see this season, this profiling works like a well-oiled machine for Barcelona. Clearly defined roles for each of these three provide different arenas of attack, leaving the opposition dumbfounded, not knowing what hit them.

For reference, the ‘MSN’ trio flourished thanks to their outstanding individual ability and inexplicable telepathic chemistry which extended off the field too. Their success was not necessarily down to the system or the ‘roles’ they were assigned.

Flick’s trident is system-oriented, and thankfully he has the best players for the dynamics up-front for it to work like it does.

It also means should Barcelona be able to sign quality deputies and if the squad be hit with an injury storm, Flick’s attacking principles should continue to blow away teams unchecked.

But for now, Barcelona have the most feared trio in the world, and the numbers speak for themselves too.

A statistical perspective

Yamal, Raphinha and Lewandowski are the best attacking players right now. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)

Barcelona’s infamous goal tally has hit ridiculous heights this season.

For starters, 40 goals in 13 LaLiga games is the second-highest in the club’s entire history with 42 the most scored at this stage of the league way back in the 1950/51 season.

However, this record doesn’t seem to stand a chance against the one the team achieved after a 5-2 drubbing of Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League, where they accumulated a whopping 55 goals in just 16 games into the season, the most in the club’s history.

Averaging more than three goals a game, this Barcelona team packs some serious firepower and their attacking unit’s numbers have a huge hand in that.

Yamal has a total of 14 G/A (goals+assists) – 6 goals and 8 assists – in just 16 games across all competitions this season. He has already surpassed his numbers from the entirety of the previous campaign.

But we all know how his game transcends mere numbers, don’t we?

The teen averages three successful take-ons per game, finding himself in the 91st percentile of wingers while registering himself in the 94th percentile for assists and the 86th for Progressive Carries highlighting the protagonism of the wonderkid in Barcelona’s attack.

Raphinha is putting up some solid numbers too. With 20 goal contributions – 12 goals and 10 assists – in 17 games, the Brazilian has been one of the best forwards in Europe this season.

His statistics prove how much of a difference-maker he is in this Barcelona side.

Raphinha finds himself in the 99th percentile for assists and is miles clear as well when it comes to expected goals and assists, a result of his increased goalscoring acumen and enhanced creativity.

But when it comes to putting balls into the back of the net, there is simply no one better than Lewandowski. The Pole has blasted 19 goals in just 17 games this season and continues to set the pace in Spain and Europe even at the age of 36.

Joint-top scorer in the Champions League with 5 goals to his name, leading the race for the Pichichi trophy with 14 goals scored in 12 LaLiga games, it is fair to say Lewandowski is reborn under Hansi Flick.

There are some key stats too that support this rejuvenation.

Lewandowski finds himself in the 93rd percentile for expected goals and assists competing with the likes of Harry Kane and Erling Haaland and even leading them in metrics of goal scored. Talk about longevity.

To compile these numbers, the trio alone accounts for a massive 74% of the goals scored by the team with 37 goals shared between the three out of the 55 the team has scored.

That is without even factoring in the assists the front line has provided this season. Who’s stopping them then?

The verdict

There is no stopping Yamal, Lewandowski and Raphinha. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

This Barcelona front line is blowing away teams at will and scoring goals for fun and judging by their potency, opposition defences must be sick by the sight of them.

Goals scored galore and yet when you add Dani Olmo as the number 10 to the mix, the trio becomes somewhat of a fantastic four, inflicting nightmares upon anyone who dare to stop them.

In comparison, the lethality of Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha has proved to be unstoppable when it was their rivals Real Madrid’s galactico unit of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo who were expected to run European defences ragged.

That take has soured like grapes doesn’t it? An interesting fact emerges when you take into account the stages of the career these players find themselves in.

Yamal, at 17, is starting to make his mark on the game. Raphinha at 27 is hitting his prime. And Robert Lewandowski is at the tail-end of his career at 36.

Each of them is a decade apart from the other, with different levels of wisdom and maturity, however wreaking havoc in tandem for all who come may.

Three fantastic players. An absurdly complete trio. Make no mistake about it, their dominance is what has primed this team for a real shot at glory.