CHENNAI: FC Barcelona spent the entire transfer window in search of a No.9. Five games into the new European season, it is beginning to look like they may not need one, with 22 goals already scored.
At Barcelona, the No.9 is no longer a player; it is now part of the job description for its lethal frontline Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus. It hasn't happened overnight. Flick has spent two seasons gradually reshaping Barcelona's attack, laying the foundations for the fluidity we are seeing now.
It started when the German manager took over the club in 2024. With Robert Lewandowski still a central figure of the attacking setup, Barcelona became one of Europe's most potent attacking sides, scoring 102 goals (2.68 goals/game) in Flick’s first La Liga season. Barcelona no longer just controlled games; they dominated opponents, with 92.99 xG (expected goals), taking 677 shots and 69.1% possession.
Lewandowski scored 42 goals. But so did Raphinha (34 goals), Ferran Torres (19) and Lamine Yamal (18), providing seeds to the current tactical flexibility. That distribution became more even in the next season, with Yamal (16), Ferran (16), Lewandowski (14) and Raphinha (13) – having almost identical numbers, as No.9 now became more than a person; it became a responsibility for the front line, with 95 goals scored, averaging 2.50 goals per game.
But beyond the numbers, on the pitch, Flick’s evolution began to become clearer, Raphinha was no longer just on the wings; he was operating freely around the pitch, Yamal was donning the role of a creator, and Fermin wasn’t afraid to push himself further up the field, occupying the area that a typical No.9 would do – and scoring goals (6).
Lewandowski was no longer the necessity around which the attack had to be built. By the time his contract ended, Barcelona had already trained itself to thrive in front of goal without depending on one reference point. However, Flick’s idea isn’t new; it draws a parallel to an important part of the club’s recent history: Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
Eighteen years ago, a young Pep Guardiola took charge of Barcelona and revived the idea of ‘total football’, with Lionel Messi at the heart of a fluid attacking system. Eto’o and Thierry Henry provided the early firepower before Pedro and David Villa took over, as Guardiola’s side scored 105 La Liga goals in his first season.
Over the next three years, Guardiola turned that fluidity into a blueprint for modern football. Positions became less rigid, midfielders controlled the tempo while attackers constantly rotated and wide overloads created multiple routes to goal. Barcelona scored 412 La Liga goals across his four seasons, an average of 103 per campaign.
Guardiola made the frontline fluid. Flick is taking that idea a step further, making the No.9 a collective responsibility rather than the job of one player. Raphinha can lead the line while retaining the instincts of a winger; Gordon and Adeyemi stretch defences with their pace; and Yamal drifts inside to create and attack spaces. At Flick’s Barcelona, the No.9 is no longer necessarily where an attack starts – it is a role that can belong to anyone.
Flick's idea doesn't stop at the forward line; it extends into midfield. Fermin, Olmo, Bernal and Pedri are no longer merely controlling the tempo; they are pushing higher up the pitch, adding another wave of runners and creating the overloads that suffocate opposition defences.
Across Europe, the No.9 is evolving rather than disappearing. PSG have embraced a fluid front three, Real Madrid have turned Kylian Mbappé into a mobile central threat, while Manchester City continue to use Erling Haaland as a fixed reference point. Barcelona, however, have taken the idea furthest, removing the need for one player to own the role.
“I am so satisfied with the way we play right now,” Flick said in his post-match press conference on Sunday after 5-0 win over Valencia. “We work hard and use the spaces really, really well up front and then there is the individual talent to capitalise on that.
Early signs in the season point to Barcelona cracking the system for fluid attacking football. But a big question remains: can it be as effective against low-blocking opponents in European competition?
Will the fluid front three be as lethal against two physically dominant centre-backs? Or can the fluidity of this attacking unit provide goals on demand in the dying minutes of a Champions League fixture with qualification on the line?
“For me, our plan does not change. We still want a No 9 in the team. But we have so many qualities in the offence and in midfield that right now a lot of players can score goals.”
Barcelona's 17 goals in their first four La Liga games are their third-highest tally at this stage in club history, matching Guardiola's 2011-12 side. The difference? Guardiola had Messi, Villa and Pedro among his attacking weapons; Flick's current side has no recognised No.9.
Flick spent the summer looking for a No.9. Five games into the season, perhaps the more interesting question is why Barcelona need one at all.