"Thank god Barcelona did not sign new players, otherwise they’d win games 10-0": La Liga chief Javier Tebas
La Liga chief Javier Tebas has heaped praise on Barcelona after their brilliant start to the 2024-25 season. He joked that if they had signed more players, they would've been even more dominant.
Barca's financial troubles over the years are well known. This restricted them to signing just two players in the summer transfer window. They brought in Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig for an initial reported fee of €55 million and Pau Victor from Girona for €2.70 million.
After a trophyless 2023-24 campaign and sacking Xavi Hernandez, many would've expected Barcelona to struggle. However, they have made a brilliant start to life under Hansi Flick, winning all six of their La Liga games so far. This also includes some dominant wins like a 7-0 win over Valladolid, a 4-1 win at Girona, and a 5-1 win at Villarreal.
La Liga chief Javier Tebas recently spoke about the Blaugrana's results so far, saying (via Barca Universal):
“Thank goodness they haven’t signed more players, because they would win games 10-0. Barça are contenders to win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.”
Barcelona didn't have a good start to their Champions League campaign though as they lost 2-1 against AS Monaco away in their first game of the tournament.
Hansi Flick assesses Barcelona's win over Villarreal
Barcelona continued their brilliant run of form in La Liga as they beat Villarreal 5-1 at El Madrigal on Sunday, September 22. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 20th minute. He added another in the 35th minute before Ayoze Perez made it 2-1 three minutes later. Pablo Torre (58') and Raphinha (74', 83') completed the scoring to secure all three points for the Catalans.
After the game, Hansi Flick shared his thoughts on his side's performance, saying (via Barca Blaugranes):
"We won 1-5 at Villarreal. It was a fantastic match between the two teams. Very attractive, back and forth. I congratulate my team, they did very well. Villarreal had clear chances. Pressing the opponent high up is part of our style. We have to be compact. We did very well, it is a risk but we have been successful so far in the League."
Barcelona had 65% possession and had 10 shots on target out of 17 attempted. Villarreal, meanwhile, had four shots on target in 13 attempts and also had multiple goals disallowed due to offside.
Barca will next take on Getafe at home in La Liga on Wednesday, September 25.