Despite a three-week international break and the absence of La Liga's current top scorer, there was no stopping Barcelona's perfect start to the campaign at the weekend.
Hansi Flick's table-toppers secured their eighth win in eight La Liga matches when they brushed aside Getafe 3-0 on Saturday – with Anthony Gordon, Gabriel Jesus and Jules Kounde on target – equalling their best start to a domestic campaign.
And European football's form team managed that without 12-goal forward Raphinha, who missed the game after picking up a thigh injury while away with the Brazil national team.
Win at Real Betis next weekend, and Barca will have matched Real Madrid's Spanish top-flight record of nine consecutive wins at the start of a season, achieved in 1968.
After also thrashing Feyenoord 5-1 in the opening round of the UEFA Champions League last month, Flick recorded nine victories across all competitions, breaking a club record set a century ago.
That is a flying start that even legendary Barca coaches Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique could not match.
Strength in depth meant Flick could hand rare starts to the likes of Kounde, Gavi and Jesus against Getafe, with all three making valuable contributions at Camp Nou.
“In every position, we have two or three players performing at an outstanding level,” said the German coach. “There is a great atmosphere in the team. That is what I like most. Everything is about the team, not one player or the coach.
“The important thing is the team, and they have to understand that sometimes they need to be on the bench. That’s what’s important to win titles.
“Everyone has to contribute in attack and defence. Everyone feels a responsibility to help the team and stay connected. Gabriel Jesus is a great player; you saw his goal. He’s different from Raphinha, yes, but today he showed his quality and I’m very happy for him.”
Barcelona return to Champions League duty on Tuesday, when they face Galatasaray in what is sure to be a white-hot atmosphere in Istanbul, where the Catalans will again be without Raphinha.
Having secured back-to-back La Liga titles, Flick's young side will now attempt to transfer that success onto the European stage, which saw them reach the semi-finals in 2024/25 and the quarter-finals last season.
The five-time European champions last ruled the continent when Luis Enrique's side defeated Juventus 3-1 in the 2015 final.
This is a Barca squad being built for long-term success. The starting XI against Getafe had an average age of less than 25, with only Rodri, 30, into his third decade. The five players brought off the bench – Fermin Lopez (23), Marc Bernal (19), Pedri (23), Karim Adeyemi (24) and Hamza Abdelkarim (18) – averaged just 21.4 years old.
Leading the charge for European domination for the foreseeable future will be Ballon d'Or favourite Lamine Yamal, who continues to shine for both club and country.
In four Uefa Nations League matches during the international window, the 19-year-old scored four and assisted another as world champions Spain stretched their unbeaten run to 43 games.
“Lamine never stops surprising us,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente after Yamal scored in Spain's 3-1 win over Czech Republic. “He has so much talent and so much quality … Lamine is on the path to becoming a legend.”
Against Getafe, Yamal added a seventh assist of the campaign to go with his eight goals across nine matches. “We all know Lamine’s level. He’s fantastic. He’s very difficult to stop, even when you take precautions,” admitted Getafe manager Jose Bordalas.
“He’s excellent in one-on-one situations, finishing and passing. He’s a magnificent young player, and he shows the level he has … He will improve much more and can win the Ballon d’Or. I have no doubt.”
Before the Getafe match, Flick made clear the talent Yamal had at his disposal. “He will be the best player in the world, if he isn't already,” said the German. “With his attitude, his mentality, his will to improve every day … That is the right mentality. For now, he is on that path and I am very happy.”
Yamal's next test will be against Turkish Super Lig leaders Galatasaray at Rams Park, with an atmosphere Flick described on Monday as "one of the best in the world".
Okan Buruk's team have won four successive domestic league titles and go into the match on the back of a 3-1 win over Kasımpasa on Friday – despite having Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira sent off in the 65th minute – but started their Champions League campaign by losing at Portuguese side Sporting by the same scoreline.
And Ismael Garcia, Galatasaray's assistant coach, acknowledged the challenge facing his side. “Yes, of course. In the end, playing against Barca is like going to the dentist: you know it's going to hurt, but you have to go and take it as well as possible,” the Spaniard said.
“Hopefully things go well. We know that they are possibly the most in-form team in Europe, but we are confident that we can put them in trouble.”
And Garcia also insisted they had the “perfect” man to hurt Barca in fit-again Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, whose five games this season have produced six goals, while his Galatasaray record stands at 65 in 79 matches.
“The top players do well in every game, but perhaps, because of Barcelona's way of defending, so aggressive and with the defensive line in the middle of the field, Osimhen is the striker who ... is perfect against that type of defence,” he said.
“Beyond the fact that he is an extraordinary striker, we hope that he can do a lot of damage to Barcelona with the way he plays.”