Barcelona must like their chances of winning LaLiga this season a lot more after watching Real Betis completely dominate a Real Madrid side bereft of the midfield trio of Dani Ceballos, Fede Valverde, and Jude Bellingham while Barca themselves thoroughly dispatched Real Sociedad 4-0; the same side Madrid only beat 1-0 at midweek in the Copa del Rey.
Although Barcelona have been frustratingly inconsistent in periods this season, there is no question that the Blaugrana field the most exciting attack in world football with attacking trio Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal already breaking goal-scoring records this season.
But the trio really could – and should – be a quartet, as Dani Olmo reminded world football fans on Sunday afternoon with a brace of assists against Real Sociedad as part of another commanding playmaking display from the Spanish international.
Dani Olmo can be as good as any of the other Barcelona stars
Olmo was a controversial signing this past summer, since Barcelona were under economic duress and didn’t really need another attacking midfielder – let alone one that demanded a 60 million euro transfer fee from RB Leipzig.
That said, Olmo was one of the best players at Euro 2024 and had a proven track record in big matches for one of the Bundesliga’s top sides. And before an early injury shut him down for a bit, Olmo was playing arguably better than any of the other Barcelona superstars, who are all legitimate Ballon d’Or candidates this season.
Olmo outshone them all against La Real, dismantling a side that had them beat earlier in the season 1-0. The 26-year-old now has 6 goals and 2 assists on the season, adding 5 key passes with 2 fouls drawn in a key display at home this weekend.
If Barcelona can truly harness Olmo’s football IQ and playmaking ability, they could be getting a crazy source of assists in the final third through the middle, in addition to the work Pedri does as an 8 and the way Yamal so effortlessly creates from the right wing with his unmistakable dribbling chops.
Olmo is fully capable of pulling the strings at the heart of the Barcelona attack, and if Barca can get the version of Olmo we saw tear La Real into pieces, then the Blaugrana could have a game-breaking counterweight and an assist-feeder for Hansi Flick’s attacking triumvirate to take all the way to the bank.
The ex-Leipzig star could be the man who fully tips the balance of LaLiga in favor of Barcelona over Real Madrid, because if he can average three key passes per game from here on out and chip in with goals, Barca’s attack will truly stamp itself ahead of Real’s while undeniably having a better defense behind them.
