Barcelona are simply on fire right now. They have broken the record for their best-ever start to the season, notching up eight straight victories across all competitions. Moreover, none of those matches have been particularly close contests; the Blaugrana’s +24 goal difference after seven league games is well over double that of everyone else in the division, and they’re averaging a whopping 4.5 goals per game overall!

Needless to say, any concerns that might have arisen after the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have been alleviated and then some. Barcelona’s new-look attack has started the season on record-breaking pace, and even if they can’t quite sustain this level of production throughout, they are sure to be one of the formidable foes any of their opponents face.

At first glance, the main change in Barça’s starting front line is the lack of a true number nine and a new left winger. A closer look, however, reveals that some of their attacking potential has also been unlocked by an altered composition in midfield.

Barcelona’s decision to commit a significant sum for the signing of Rodri did not get a slam-dunk approval from analysts despite the Spaniard’s recognition as the best player at the World Cup. The main reasons behind that were his recent injury history and the team’s more pressing needs in defence.

Of course, it is early days yet, so the jury must remain out on Rodri’s signing. What is safe to say is that bringing in a player of his profile might have been worth it just for what it has unlocked out of Pedri. Still only 23, the Canarian midfielder has firmly established himself as one of the world’s very best players in the last few years. The diminutive technician had to do quite a lot of heavy lifting in Hansi Flick’s midfield over the last two seasons as partners — including first choice options such as Frenkie de Jong and Gavi, and replacements like Marc Casadó — have all been plagued by injury history.

Despite — or perhaps due to — the instability around him, Pedri assumed an all-action role that saw him contribute in all phases of play. First, he would help the team build out by dropping back before doing what he does best: progressing the ball into the attacking half and final third through various means. He capped it all off with significant creative output, producing 12 assists across all competitions.

The arrival of Rodri has taken a good deal of responsibility off Pedri’s shoulders in the first of those phases. The former Las Palmas midfielder no longer needs to ensure that he is always a readily-available passing option, since his partner is more than capable of dealing with any sort of pressure that comes his way in orchestrating the build-up. This in turn has enabled Pedri to offer even more in terms of ball progression and chance creation. In simple terms, he does not need to keep dropping to pick the ball up from his defenders and can now move more freely, thus dealing even more damage going forward.

Pedri’s heatmap from the season shows just how much more involved he has been in the attacking half. (Image from FotMob)

Pedri’s forward passing has always been exceptional, but it would not be quite as valuable if there wasn’t anyone to finish the chances it helped create. That was the main concern for Barcelona coming out of the transfer window, but two of their established superstars have stepped up to the plate.

Although he is not the current team leader in terms of goal contributions, Lamine Yamal’s output is perhaps the most encouraging. The La Masia graduate’s 80 goal contributions across the last two seasons had already placed him among the world’s very best. Operating as a wide winger, the youngster always was an unstoppable dribbler who quickly became immune even to double teams, and developed a dual threat with well-weighted in-swinging crosses as well as dangerous shots after cutting inside.

This term, he has shown glimpses of more dynamic off-ball movement ahead of the ball as opposed to largely stationing himself high and wide to receive to feet. Consequently, he is starting to get on the end of through balls with diagonal runs and generally finds himself in better shooting positions. He has almost matched half of his league goal tally from last season, averaging 0.7 npxG per 90.

Even so, Lamine Yamal has been outshone by Raphinha in terms of goal-scoring. Once an industrious right winger for English Premier League relegation-battlers Leeds United, the Brazilian forward has reinvented himself at Barcelona.

First, he moved over to the left side to accommodate the emergence of Lamine Yamal, developing as an inside forward who could play in the pockets and feed his teammates while also moving into the box off a lead striker to get quality shots. Now that the other strikers have disappeared, he has done a fantastic job of carrying on some of those qualities while adapting further to spearhead the attack in Barcelona’s 4-2-3-1.

Raphinha’s movement in behind stands out the most, as he has led his side’s devastating transitions with great success. He has an incredible return of 14 goals after eight games, having shown excellent finishing with his left foot in particular. He has been generating great power on many of his shots, and also does an excellent job of laying balls off for arriving teammates.

While these two have gone ballistic, Barcelona’s new signings have also found their footing straight away. Anthony Gordon has immediately shown great understanding with his new teammates to register four assists, while Karim Adeyemi has been darting straight through anyone who dares stand in his way. The pressure has been off them so far, but they look primed to deliver when called upon later on in the season.

Even though Barcelona are currently averaging over 3.8 xG per game, they may not keep scoring at quite such a high rate throughout the campaign. For one, a busier fixture schedule is likely to slow them down on the other side of the international break, both through squad rotation and reduced intensity on the pitch. They have also been exceptional at building on their leads with clinical breaks and transitions (thus piling four or more goals on six opponents so far), but some less fortunate bounces may take away those opportunities by reducing the time they spend in a winning game state.

In any case, the Blaugrana’s attack is the indisputable number one in the world right now, and is sure to propel serious title challenges in all competitions with their ability to unlock any sort of defence.