Barcelona are a third of the way through the season and Hansi Flick’s side can make a compelling case to be one of the best teams in Europe.

Flick appears to have chosen his preferred starting line-up, formed in part by players who came there out of necessity but who have now done enough to convince the German that they should stay.

Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Fermin Lopez have recovered from recent injuries. Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen are on their way back and Eric Garcia will be back in a maximum of two weeks.

How does Flick deal with a full squad of first-team players who all want to play? And what does his best XI look like?

Before Barcelona’s Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade – where some marginal players were able to prove themselves – we take a look.

Pena has played every game since No. 1 Marc-André ter Stegen’s knee injury, and there are no signs of that changing in the near future.

Barcelona decided to sign Szczesny as a backup. Flick believed he lost a world-class goalkeeper in Ter Stegen, but also a veteran with great leadership influence in a young dressing room. Signing the 34-year-old Szczesny made perfect sense in the manager’s eyes and some within the club believed it would take the Pole little time to become first-choice.

GO DEEPER

What does Szczesny’s signing at Barcelona mean for Inaki Pena?

A shaky performance from Pena in Barca’s 3-0 win against Deportivo Alaves caused concern among fans, with sources close to the dressing room – who, like everyone else quoted in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships – saying a change of goal wouldn’t have been a huge surprise. But Flick had other plans.

“Inaki will play against Sevilla and Bayern. I can confirm that,” Flick told reporters ahead of one of the biggest weeks of the season for Barca. “There is no reason for us to change; He was very good in goal.”

Since then, Pena has repaid the German’s trust. The 25-year-old was brilliant in the 4-0 win against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. “I don’t know what people are saying outside, but inside the club I have felt the complete trust from my manager, teammates and everyone all season – and I am so happy about this,” Pena told Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo. week.

Benching Pena would have damaged the academy graduate’s confidence. Instead, he is now fully committed to his manager – a bold call from Flick that has been proven right.

Pena was impressive against Madrid (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

No debate here. Kounde is Barcelona’s undisputed right-back, after the French defender finally accepted that switching to centre-back was best for all parties.

At the start of the 2023/24 season, the 25-year-old spoke to then-manager Xavi and told him he felt his best position was in central defence. But time and continued improvement have shown that he fits much better on the right.

He has become one of the most consistent performers of this campaign and has been a rock. Lamine Yamal called him “the best right back in the world” in a comment on an Instagram post by Kounde.

It is also true that Kounde does not have much competition in that position. 18-year-old La Masia product Hector Fort is the only natural backup and he is still far from being able to offer what Kounde does.

Center backs: Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez (backups: Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo)

Flick had no choice but to build his defense around Cubarsi and Martinez when the season started, as they were the only senior centre-back duo available last season.

But in three months they have every right to be counted among the best partnerships in Europe. Martinez is the orchestrator of Barcelona’s famous offside trap under Flick, while Cubarsi gives them unparalleled vision for build-up play.

“Inigo Martinez is a fundamental piece, a real leader in this team,” Flick said after his team defeated Espanyol this weekend. He has also praised Cubarsi, saying: “The way Pau is playing at his age is incredible.”

Martinez has become a leader in defense for Barça (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

The former Germany and Bayern Munich coach will soon be dealing with more players, with Araujo and Christensen close to returns after long-term injuries. Former Manchester City defender Garcia should also be included in that group as the return of Gavi and De Jong means he does not have to be used as a stopgap midfielder.

Araujo is expected to return from his hamstring injury before Christensen. But as much as the 25-year-old Uruguayan has been a highly-rated asset in recent years, he can’t consider himself an instant starter; he will have to fight for his place.

Those close to the locker room say Flick is pretty clear that Cubarsi and Martinez are his partners right now — and that he has no intention of fixing what isn’t broken. The players on the outside face the challenge of pushing back inside.

A similar situation to Kounde; Balde holds this position, partly due to his performance, but also due to a lack of competition.

Barcelona could not count on Balde for most of last season due to a serious hamstring injury. Now the 21-year-old is back after a carefully monitored recovery plan and Flick is managing his workload very carefully.

Former Barcelona Atletic (reserve team) left-back Martin, 22, is his replacement but poses no real threat to the Spain international.

Holding midfielder: Marc Casado (back-up: Frenkie de Jong)

Few expected it in the summer, but Casado is Flick’s starting midfielder, well ahead of De Jong.

In a way, this is useful for Barcelona after De Jong’s long absence due to an ankle injury. The 27-year-old Dutchman cannot be rushed into action and will have to be pushed again before he can perform at his best.

GO DEEPER

How Marc Casado went from tears in the youth team to Barcelona in four months

Casado was the solution, but it also appears to fit Flick’s style better. In a team that punishes opponents with direct transitions, Casado’s short, quick passes are perfect, and the 21-year-old may offer more in that sense than a ball carrier like De Jong. He is also the perfect complement to Pedri and Olmo, who will be given a freer role in midfield, while Casado remains disciplined in his position.

The performance of Casado, La Masia’s newest gem, also ensures that there is less pressure on De Jong and Gavi to get to work immediately after recovery. But will De Jong be able to take over Casado’s place soon? There are major doubts about this in the dressing room.

Attacking midfielders: Pedri and Dani Olmo (backups: Fermin Lopez, Gavi)

Pedri was one of Barcelona’s most important players this season. The 21-year-old midfielder has put his injury problems behind him under Flick and is playing his best football since joining from Las Palmas four years ago. No one comes near him in this form.

Since returning from his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last month, Gavi has been used in Pedri’s position in the few minutes he has played. But for now, he is expected to play a secondary role as he gets back up to speed.

Pedri shows his best form yet for Barça (Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

The other place in midfield is taken by Olmo. The impact of the €60 million ($77 million; £50 million at current exchange rates) summer signing is impressive, to the point that you can’t tell he left La Masia at the age of 16. He scored five goals in five La Liga games, missing the first. two because he was not registered and four others because of injury.

GO DEEPER

‘When he scored his first goal I cried’ – Dani Olmo’s 10-year odyssey back to Barcelona

Behind him is last season’s sensation, Fermin. The 21-year-old starred in an attacking midfield role last season before being part of Spain’s European Championship and Olympic gold medal-winning team in the summer (he was the player of the tournament in France). But that position is now very crowded at Barca.

Fermin extended his contract last week, signing a new contract until 2029. He can adapt to multiple positions in attack, which is good news considering Olmo, Pedri and a fully fit Gavi would be ahead of him in the pecking order .

How do you replace the best attacking trio in Europe’s top five leagues, with 34 goals between them? The answer: that’s not possible. Primarily because of their quality, but also because no other attackers pose a real threat.

Yamal is the undisputed star of this team. The 17-year-old winger has cemented his place since winning the 2024 European Championship with Spain last summer. He scored six goals and provided eight assists in fifteen games.

On the left you have the most improved player of the season: Raphinha. He has contributed 20 goals so far and his efforts off the ball fit Flick’s style like a glove.

Barcelona’s three attacking players are in unstoppable form (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Then there is only one Lewandowski. No one in the squad has his skills or goal-scoring ability. The 36-year-old looks like the very best version of his old self again under Flick, who also worked with him at Bayern.

There is little quality replacement behind them. Torres is now injured but has been disappointing when available despite Flick giving him opportunities. Fati is fourth in the pecking order after failing to make an impact on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion last season. Victor, 22, joined from Girona this summer after playing for Barca’s second team last season, but he is only a fringe player.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the attacker is a midfielder like Fermin or Olmo emerging. But why change a winning formula?

(Top photo: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)