Barcelona are a third of the way through the season and Hansi Flick’s team can convincingly claim to be one of the best teams in Europe.

Flick appears to have settled on his preferred starting lineup, made up partly of players who got there out of necessity but have now done enough to convince the German that they must stay.

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

So how is Flick supposed to cope with a full squad of professional players who all want to play? And what does his best eleven look like?

Ahead of Barca’s Champions League game against Red Star Belgrade – where some fringe players could look to prove themselves – we take a look.

Pena has played every game since No. 1 Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s knee injury and there are no signs of anything changing in the foreseeable future.

Barcelona decided to sign Szczesny as a replacement. Flick believed he was losing a world-class keeper 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 at the club believed the Pole would soon become first choice.

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

A shaky performance from Pena in Barca’s 3-0 win over Deportivo Alaves sparked concern among fans. Sources close to the locker room — who, like everyone quoted in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — reported a change in destination 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 Barca’s biggest weeks of the season. “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 shone in the 4-0 win against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. “I don’t know what people say outside, but inside the club I felt the full trust of my manager, my teammates and everyone else all season long – and I’m so happy about that,” Pena told Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo Week .

Putting Pena on the bench would have damaged the academy graduate’s confidence. Instead, he is now devoting himself entirely to his manager – a bold statement from Flick that has proven to be correct.

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 it would be best for all sides if he played in place of the centre-back.

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

He has become one of the most consistent players this campaign and has been a rock in defense. 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 this position. 18-year-old La Masia product Hector Fort is the only natural replacement and he is far from offering what Kounde does.

Central defenders: Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez (substitutes: Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo)

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

But after three months they can rightly be counted among the best partnerships in Europe. Martinez is the orchestrator of Barca’s famous offside trap under Flick, while Cubarsi gives them unparalleled vision in terms of build-up play.

“Inigo Martinez is a fundamental figure, a real leader in this team,” Flick said after his team beat Espanyol at the weekend. He also praised Cubarsi, saying, “The way Pau plays at his age is incredible.”

Martinez has emerged as a leader in Barca’s defense (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

The former Germany and Bayern Munich coach will soon have more players to look after, with Araujo and Christensen close to returning from long-term injuries. Former Manchester City defender Garcia also needs to be included in this group as the return of Gavi and De Jong means he doesn’t need to be used as an emergency midfielder.

Araujo is expected to return from his hamstring injury before Christensen. But as much as the 25-year-old Uruguayan has been a valued asset in recent years, he can’t call 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 currently form his partnership – and that he has no plans to fix what isn’t broken. The players on the outside face the challenge of getting back inside.

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

Due to a serious hamstring injury, Barca were unable to count on Balde for most of last season. Now the 21-year-old is back following a carefully monitored recovery plan and Flick is managing his workload very carefully.

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

Midfielder: Marc Casado (substitute: Frenkie de Jong)

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

In a way, this comes in handy for Barcelona after De Jong was sidelined for a long time with an ankle injury. The 27-year-old Dutchman will not be rushed and will need to be reinstated before he can give his best.

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Casado was the solution, but also seems to fit Flick’s style better. In a team that punishes the opposition with direct transitions, Casado’s short, quick passes are perfect, and the 21-year-old perhaps offers more in that sense than a ball carrier like De Jong. He is also the perfect foil for Pedri and Olmo, who have a freer role in midfield, while Casado remains disciplined in his position.

La Masia’s latest gem, Casado’s performances also mean there is less pressure on De Jong and Gavi to get straight into the starting XI once they recover. But will De Jong be able to take Casado’s place soon? There are serious doubts about this in the dressing room.

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

Pedri has been 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 moving from Las Palmas four years ago. Nobody can get close to him in this form.

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

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

Olmo took the other place in midfield. The impact of the €60m summer signing (US$77m; £50m at current exchange rates) has been impressive, so much so that you can’t tell he left La Masia at 16 – he left in five Scored five goals in La Liga games, the first two missed when he was unregistered and four more due to injury.

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Behind him is last season’s sensation, Fermin. The 21-year-old excelled as an attacking midfielder last season before becoming part of Spain’s European Championship and Olympic gold medal-winning squad in the summer (he was the player of the tournament in France). But this position is currently heavily overloaded at Barca.

Fermin extended his contract last week and signed a new one 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 a combined 34 goals? The answer: That doesn’t work. Firstly because of their quality, but also because no other striker poses a real threat.

Yamal is the undisputed star of this team. The 17-year-old winger has used his platform since winning Euro 2024 with Spain in the summer, scoring six goals and providing eight assists in 15 games.

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

Barca’s attacking three were in unstoppable form (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Then there will only be one Lewandowski. Nobody in the squad has his skills or goalscoring ability. Under Flick, with whom he also worked at FC Bayern, the 36-year-old once again looks like the best version of his old self.

There are hardly any high-quality replacements behind this. Torres is now injured but has been unconvincing when available, despite Flick creating opportunities for him. Fati is fourth in the pecking order after spending last season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion and failing to make an impact. Victor, 22, arrived from Girona this summer after spending last season with Barca’s second team but is only a fringe player.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the forward line is a midfielder like Fermin or Olmo moving up. But why change a winning formula?

(Top photo: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)