Barcelona are buzzing with excitement just four games into the new La Liga season. The team has managed to win all four of its opening matches, and the quality of their play has given supporters plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
Even though the summer transfer window only saw the arrival of two new players, Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, and the departure of seven others, Hansi Flick has already taken the team to the top of the league table.
Their most recent win, a 7-0 thrashing of Real Valladolid, has added even more excitement among the fans.
What is even more promising is a historical pattern that could hint at Barcelona’s potential to win the league this season. In the last 11 times that Barcelona won their first four league games, they went on to claim the title in nine of those seasons.
Only twice did another team manage to win the league under those circumstances, reports Mundo Deportivo.
A look back into the history books
This impressive track record of winning the league after a strong start began with Terry Venables in the 1984-85 season. Venables led the team to a league title eleven years after their last triumph when Johan Cruyff was a player (1973-74).
Cruyff would later return as a coach to guide Barcelona to another league win after starting the 1990-91 season with four straight victories. This season marked the beginning of four consecutive league titles under Cruyff’s management.
Another Dutchman, Louis van Gaal, replicated this success. In his second season with Barcelona, he guided the team to the La Liga title after a similar perfect start.
This trend continued with Pep Guardiola in the 2009-10 season and Tito Vilanova in the 2012-13 season, the latter equalling Jose Mourinho’s 100-point record in La Liga.
The following season, Tata Martino nearly achieved the same feat but fell short after a controversial disallowed goal by Leo Messi for offside, which allowed Atletico Madrid to snatch the title on the last day of the season.
Luis Enrique continued the tradition of success, winning back-to-back league titles after starting the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with four straight victories.
His first title was part of a treble, marking only the second time in Barcelona’s history that the club achieved such a feat.
Ernesto Valverde then took over and maintained this trend, winning the league in his first two seasons (2017-18 and 2018-19) after similar strong starts. His tenure continued the legacy of consistent success for Barcelona in the league when starting the season with a perfect run.
Now, under Hansi Flick, the fans have every reason to dream again. If history is any indication, a perfect start like this could very well lead to another league title, bringing joy to Barcelona supporters who are eager to see their team back on top.
