Barcelona have made a strong start to the La Liga season, securing two straight victories despite the absence of several key players, which has heightened expectations for new manager Hansi Flick. Currently tied at the top of La Liga with Celta Vigo on six points, Barcelona is set to travel to Madrid to face Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday. Rayo Vallecano remains unbeaten, having recently stunned Real Sociedad 2-1 and drawing 0-0 with Getafe in a tough match on Saturday.
"The objective in Barcelona should always be to win the league," Flick stated at a Monday press conference. "It's a long journey, but we've begun strongly, though things can shift rapidly. Currently, we're pleased with our start and feeling confident. We're not looking ahead to May; our focus is on maintaining our momentum in the upcoming game." He added, "We're extremely satisfied with the team's performance on the field. The quality of training sessions is high, the players are focused, the intensity is good... and it shows in our matches."
Rayo Vallecano will depend on the energetic support of their Vallecas Stadium to potentially halt the momentum of Barcelona, who have convincingly defeated challenging opponents like Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, easing the pressure on a club facing turmoil both on and off the pitch. Following a trophyless season that concluded with the contentious dismissal of manager Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona brought in Flick, formerly of Bayern Munich and Germany, to help reclaim the La Liga title from Real Madrid.
Flick inherited a club grappling with deepening financial problems, urgently seeking to reduce their first-team wage bill to comply with La Liga's financial regulations, allowing them to register new signings such as Spain international Dani Olmo. They allowed German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to leave as a free agent after just one season since joining from Manchester City, and on Monday announced the departures of French defender Clement Lenglet to Atletico Madrid and Brazilian forward Vitor Roque to Real Betis, both on season-long loans without transfer fees, to clear their salaries. Flick is optimistic that this will enable them to register the versatile Olmo, who played a crucial role in Spain's Euro 2024 victory, finishing as one of the tournament's top scorers with three goals and being named among the UEFA team of the tournament.
"I'm hopeful I can finally count on him tomorrow," Flick said. "I also hoped for him in the last game, but things are as they are. It would be fantastic, but we'll see what happens. It's something we can't control, neither the player nor the team, nor the coach... we know it's a challenging situation." He continued, "I've spoken to him; it's a difficult situation. Of course, he's not happy, but he understands the circumstances. He's fit and ready to play if the call comes..."
