The biggest reason Barcelona are flying high is because their front three are better than Real Madrid and all other teams. While Los Blancos have gathered 3 extremely talented players with similar playing styles, the Barca striker trio perfectly complement each other.
Robert Lewandowski has scored 75 goals in nearly 2 Bundesliga seasons under Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich. He is the perfect striker for the German's fast-paced approach.
Lewandowski is averaging 1.2 xG + xA per 90 minutes - nearly double Kylian Mbappe's rate and also more than in his 2 seasons at Bayern.
In counter-attacks, Lewandowski is always in the middle of the penalty area and ready to seize the opportunity. With more consistent possession, Barca sometimes look like a basketball team. The midfielders and defenders rotated the ball around, while Lewandowski moved flexibly and tried to find space.
Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal is emerging as one of the brightest young stars in world football. And remember, Yamal is only 17 years old. Many even said that Yamal is an upgraded version of Bukayo Saka, bigger, stronger and more dangerous.
Yamal leads all of Europe in the number of progressive passes and completed passes into the penalty area. The young Spanish star was a horror when cutting in from the right wing and attracted a lot of attention when he had the ball at his feet.
And with all the attention for Yamal, Raphinha also knows how to make everyone mention his name. In fact, the Brazilian striker has played more clearly than his two teammates in the attack. Raphinha is leading Barca with 1.24 xG + xA per 90 minutes. In fact, he ranks third among all players in Europe in total xG and first in xA.
Yamal swerved past the right-back, the ball passed to Raphinha in the left gap. The Brazilian then made a pass or a smart dribble, while Lewandowski tried to escape the presence of defenders. The Polish striker can receive the ball and shoot or create space for another player to rush in. That has been the basic attacking formula for the Blaugrana this season.
Lewandowski does not need too much of the ball, as his main task is to stretch and put pressure on the opponent's defense by constantly moving. Meanwhile, Yamal and Raphinha are tasked with being the receiving point as well as creating breakthroughs.
After 10 rounds in La Liga, Barcelona's attack, not Real Madrid's, is reaching heights rarely seen in Spain. Los Blancos are still unbeaten but it has been a difficult process.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have won 5 matches in La Liga this season by at least 3 goals. In contrast, Real Madrid have only scored three goals in a La Liga game twice this season.
