Barcelona 3-0 Getafe: Gordon, Jesus and Koundé step up without Raphinha

Barcelona's 3-0 win over Getafe at Spotify Camp Nou on 10 October was settled by the timing of the goals as much as the scoreline. Anthony Gordon opened in the 2nd minute, Gabriel Jesus added a second on the half-hour, and Jules Koundé finished a Lamine Yamal corner in the 73rd. Raphinha, the team's leading scorer, was unavailable with a minor thigh problem, yet Hansi Flick's side still equalled the club record of eight consecutive league wins at the start of a season, set under Tata Martino in 2013/14.

Gordon's early goal, clocked at 78 seconds in one report, set the tone. He beat two defenders on the edge of the area before firing home and was named MVP in the club's official report. Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead after Getafe were caught playing out from the back, and Koundé's close-range left-foot finish from Yamal's delivery made it three. The goals came from a first-time scorer, a summer arrival and a defender — a spread that says something about the squad's depth rather than one player carrying the load.

The raw data shows a match Barcelona controlled almost completely. Possession finished 83 per cent to 17, against an average of 72 per cent across their earlier 2026/27 matches in all competitions. They had 23 shots to Getafe's four, eight on target to one, seven big chances to none, and nine corners to two. Expected goals read 1.93 to 0.12.

Two numbers complicate the picture. Barcelona's 1.93 xG here sits well below their average of 3.79 across earlier matches this season, and their 31 touches in the opposition box were down on an average of 45.6. Their 566 passes in the opposition half, by contrast, were up sharply on an average of 386.4. The reading is a team that circulated the ball far more than usual but turned that circulation into fewer high-value chances than it has elsewhere. The 3-0 scoreline, with goals minus xG at 1.07 against a season average of 0.0, flatters the chance quality slightly — though not the control.

That gap between territory and chance creation is the question the next matches will answer. Was this a deliberate gear-change, a side managing a lead and a missing forward, or a sign that the attack loses some bite without Raphinha?

What the win does establish is that Flick can rest his leading scorer and still get goals from elsewhere. Gordon's first Barcelona goal, Gabriel Jesus's sharpness after Getafe's error, and Koundé's threat from corners gave the scoreline three separate sources.

Matching the 2013/14 record is a milestone, not a verdict. Eight league wins to start a campaign is the same mark Martino's side reached, and what happened next is a matter for the season, not this result. The open questions are straightforward: how long Raphinha is sidelined, whether Gordon can sustain this form as a regular starter, and whether this control without chances translates into a stronger title challenge. For now, Barcelona have depth, a set-piece threat and a perfect league record. The harder tests will show whether that is enough.