Barcelona’s failure to sign Julián Alvarez during the summer transfer window has done little to affect their attacking output, with Hansi Flick’s side continuing to score at an extraordinary rate at the start of the 2026-27 season.

The pursuit of Alvarez was one of the main stories surrounding Barcelona’s summer. The Atlético Madrid striker had been identified as the preferred replacement for Robert Lewandowski and was reportedly willing to take on the challenge of moving to Camp Nou.

Atlético Madrid, however, refused to consider selling their striker to a La Liga rival, ensuring that Alvarez remained in the Spanish capital.

Barcelona subsequently had to find another solution, and their response in front of goal has been emphatic. The Catalan club have scored five goals in four of their six matches in all competitions this season, taking their overall tally to 26 goals.

In La Liga alone, Barcelona have scored 21 goals in five matches, at least seven more than any other team. They have also scored more goals than any other club across Europe’s five major leagues.

Barcelona opened their league campaign with a 5-0 victory at Elche before recording a 2-0 win over Athletic Club. They then produced three consecutive high-scoring performances, defeating Rayo Vallecano 5-2, Valencia 5-0 and Levante 4-2.

Their average of 4.2 goals per league match is currently the highest in Europe’s top five leagues. Freiburg are next on 3.3 goals per game.

Barcelona have also carried their scoring form into Europe, beginning their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord.

So, with Alvarez absent, how have Barcelona managed to maintain such a remarkable scoring rate?

The club did sign Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal, although his arrival appeared to be more of a replacement for Ferran Torres than a move designed to provide a new first-choice centre-forward. That has led Flick to make an important tactical adjustment early in the season.

Raphinha did not play as a striker at any point during the previous campaign, but he has spent 90 percent of his playing time this season leading Barcelona’s attack. The Brazilian has responded impressively to the change in position.

The former Leeds United player has generally been supported by Lamine Yamal and Anthony Gordon, with the trio producing significant attacking numbers during the opening weeks of the campaign.

Raphinha already has eight goals this season, while Yamal has seven. Gordon is still waiting for his first goal since arriving from Newcastle United, but he has already registered four La Liga assists. That figure is jointly the highest in Europe’s top five leagues, alongside Roma midfielder Paulo Dybala.

Fermín López has contributed four goals, while new signing Karim Adeyemi has scored three. Gabriel Jesus also opened his Barcelona account in last week’s heavy Champions League victory over Feyenoord.

Barcelona’s goal-scoring form should not be viewed as completely unexpected. The club have been prolific for some time, scoring 95 goals in La Liga last season. That was the second-highest total among teams in Europe’s top five leagues, behind Bayern Munich’s 122.

The trend has continued since Flick took charge in the summer of 2024. Barcelona have scored 344 goals in 123 matches under the German coach, averaging 2.8 goals per game.

Their attacking efficiency is not simply the result of creating a huge volume of shots. Real Madrid, for example, have taken 104 shots in La Liga this season compared with Barcelona’s 96.

Barcelona have instead been particularly ruthless when chances arrive. Their shot conversion rate currently stands at 21.9 percent, the second-highest figure among clubs in Europe’s top five leagues.

Only Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg have a higher conversion rate, at 26.7 percent, having scored eight goals from 30 shots.

Barcelona’s finishing efficiency is also connected to the quality of chances they are creating. Their 16.7 expected goals in La Liga is 3.7 higher than the next-best total, with Real Madrid on 13.0.

Their average of 3.35 xG per league game is also the highest across Europe’s top five leagues, ahead of Bayern Munich’s 2.94.

Barcelona are averaging 0.19 expected goals per shot in La Liga, and no other team in Europe’s five major leagues is currently producing a higher figure.

Another indication of the quality and structure behind their attacking play is the number of goals that have been assisted. Seventeen of Barcelona’s 21 La Liga goals have recorded an assist, at least seven more than any other team.

While an official assist can be affected by small details, such as a cross taking a slight deflection before reaching the scorer, the fact that 17 of their 21 goals have been assisted points towards a Barcelona attack that is creating deliberate scoring opportunities rather than relying heavily on fortunate rebounds or ricochets.

The fluidity of their front three has also encouraged Barcelona to attack the space behind opposition defences. They have attempted 37 through balls in La Liga this season, with 12 successfully finding their intended target.

That figure is more than double the total recorded by every other team except Racing Santander, who have attempted 19.

A through ball is a pass played through the opposition defensive line, usually creating an opportunity for an attacker to run through on goal and potentially face the goalkeeper one-on-one.

Barcelona’s attacking numbers from open play are particularly striking. Apart from two penalties, none of their league goals have come from set-pieces.

Their total of 19 open-play goals is at least eight more than any other La Liga team.

Yamal has been especially influential. The young winger arrived at the new season after winning the World Cup during the summer and has already created 18 chances from open play.

That is more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues and more than twice as many as any of his Barcelona teammates.

Remarkably, Yamal is yet to register his first assist despite creating so many opportunities and playing in a team that has scored 21 goals in five league matches.

Raphinha has also thrived in his new role as a centre-forward. In six appearances across all competitions this season, he has scored eight goals from just 18 shots.

His overall shot conversion rate stands at 44.4 percent. That figure includes a penalty, but even without the spot-kick, his conversion rate remains an impressive 41.2 percent.

There is still room for Barcelona’s attack to become even more productive. Gordon and Dani Olmo are yet to score this season, meaning the team could potentially add even more goals if Yamal’s teammates become more clinical with the opportunities he creates.

It remains a very small sample size, but Barcelona’s current scoring rate puts them on course for an extraordinary 160 goals in La Liga this season.

That would represent a huge achievement. Real Madrid currently hold the record for the most goals scored in a La Liga season, with 121 in the 2011-12 campaign.

Barcelona have nevertheless looked capable of scoring heavily whenever they take to the pitch. Across all competitions last season, they scored 144 goals in 57 matches.

If they play the same number of games this season and maintain their current scoring rate, they would be projected to reach 247 goals. That remains an extremely ambitious projection and is unlikely to be treated as a realistic target at this stage of the campaign.

Barcelona will host Racing Santander on Wednesday before travelling to Sevilla at the weekend, with the fixture coming ahead of the next international break.

The two matches will provide another opportunity for Flick’s team to continue their remarkable scoring run and potentially reach 30 La Liga goals before the first international break of the season.

There is likely to be renewed speculation about Barcelona attempting to sign Alvarez in January, but for now, the Catalan giants are showing that they can remain extremely productive in front of goal with the attacking options already available to Flick.