Barcelona are already five points clear at the top of La Liga with seven wins from seven games. And they have two players to thank.
Raphinha (15) and Lamine Yamal (11) are the only players in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures for direct goal involvements this season.
The Brazilian has either scored or assisted in all seven of Barcelona’s league games this season, while Yamal went into the international break on a streak of five. They were also both involved in goals in Barcelona’s opening Champions League win over Feyenoord.
Just how good have they been, though?
Barcelona’s golden duo
Raphinha’s new role
Goalscoring
With both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres leaving in the summer, Barcelona needed someone to lead the line. Rather than looking to the transfer market, they put their trust in Raphinha. And it’s paying off.
Raphinha is the only player in Europe’s top five to hit double figures for goals this season, with 12 in just seven matches. He’s also scored more goals from open-play (nine) than any other player has scored total goals.
Accuracy has been key for the Brazilian, who isn’t wasting his chances. Despite leading the way in La Liga for goals, Raphinha only ranks fourth for his 24 shots. He’s not even first in his own team, with Yamal taking 38 shots. But only Kylian Mbappe (22) has had more shots on target than Raphinha’s 16. And the Brazilian has only shot off target three times, with the other six efforts blocked.
When he does hit the target, Raphinha has vastly improved his chances of finding the net. The Brazilian already ranks first in La Liga for his 7.58 Expected Goals, but he also top scores for 9.9 post-shot xG. So Raphinha has been improved his chances of scoring by 2.32 based on where he is placing his shots. It’s the biggest improvement in La Liga this season.
Creativity
But Raphinha isn’t just a goalscorer. He has also been a key creator for Barcelona, with three assists. They have come from 2.35 Expected Assists, the third-most in La Liga. Although Raphinha’s 14 chances created places him joint-eighth in La Liga, he has been putting his teammates into good scoring positions. Only five players have created more big chances than Raphinha’s four in La Liga this season. And that’s with the Brazilian being a supplementary creative outlet, rather as opposed to his team’s main man.
That’s shown by his involvement on the ball. Raphinha averages 45.57 touches per 90 minutes in La Liga this season, the 10th most of any Barcelona player with at least 315 minutes played. Goalkeeper Joan Garcia (36.36) and Anthony Gordon (45.34) are the only other Barcelona players less involved than Raphinha.
Again, though, it’s about making the most of the time on the ball. Barcelona aren’t a cross-heavy team, averaging just 12.57 attempted crosses per game. But Raphinha has contributed to 2.43 of those, the second-most of any Barcelona player. He has also completed more crosses than any other Barcelona player (1.14).
Lamine Yamal’s support
Creativity
As mentioned, Raphinha isn’t Barcelona’s main creative outlet. That’s Yamal. The Spaniard continues to show his class with every passing year and is already one of the best in the world in his role.
He ranks second in La Liga for his 27 chances created so far this season, behind only Arda Guler (28). But Yamal is unrivalled for his 10 big chances created, the only player to hit double figures in the league. And he’s been effective too. Yamal’s 3.28 xA is the best in La Liga this season and he has provided four assists, with no player recording more.
Yamal is a danger from all angles. He has attempted 191 final third passes in La Liga and completed 135, both the second-most in the division. The Spaniard also ranks second for his 13 through-balls attempted, with only three players completing more than his five. Yamal is able to get himself into these creative positions due to his quality on the ball, attempting (50) and completing (30) more take-ons than any other La Liga player.
And even when he isn’t able to create, Yamal is putting Barcelona in dangerous positions because of what it takes to stop him. The Spaniard has been fouled six times in the final third this season, with only two players winning more in La Liga. He has also won one penalty, helped by his 71 touches in the opposition box.
Goalscoring
You cannot talk about Yamal and not mention his goals. Although he sits joint-top for assists, Yamal also ranks joint-second for goals with seven. He joins Mbappe and Sergio Camello in trailing Raphinha. Although he employs more of a scattergun approach than his teammate.
Only Mbappe (41) has taken more shots in La Liga this season than Yamal’s 38, and the Spaniard also ranks third for shots on target. But that number drops down to 14. Yamal has missed the target 15 times, with 36.84% accuracy. That doesn’t mean Yamal is a bad finisher, though. In fact, he has been improving his chances of scoring based on shot placement.
Yamal ranks third for his 5.5 xG and 6.39 post-shot xG, upping his chances of scoring by +0.89. While that’s not as big as some of his peers, the Spaniard is still showing finesse in his finishing. And that’s all while still being just 19. It’s a boost for Barcelona, knowing they have a frequent shooter who can cause a lot of issues when he gets it on target.