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Barcelona sings the same old song in dominant La Liga debut
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Barcelona sings the same old song in dominant La Liga debut

By Alyssa Clang  |  Last updated Aug 23, 2026 7:59 PM ET
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There's a famous old idiom in Catalunya that gets trotted out whenever things feel trite: ser la cançó de l'enfadós. It roughly translates to "being the annoying song", an unforgivable sin in a place as musically and culturally rich as Barcelona, but it's not always meant as an insult. Sometimes great things stick around until they get annoying, too; spin any pop song from the last twenty years as proof.

For La Liga—Spain's premier domestic soccer league and one of the top soccer competitions on earth—is there any song more annoying than that of FC Barcelona? The team kicked off its 2026-27 campaign on Sunday with a routine 5-0 win over Elche. It was an accomplished and attractive performance, but it was nearly identical to the one Barcelona put in during last season's opener against Mallorca. Big win over a mid-to-lower tier team? Check. Dominant possession stats? Of course. Raphinha banging in rockets from middle distance? No doubt. A hitherto unknown La Masia graduate starting in defense? Definitely (this year's rising professional is named Xavi Espart.) Gavi limping off with a freak injury? You'd better believe it, and this time it happened before the halftime whistle. 

Name any Barcelona stereotype, good or bad. They were all on display in this match—and they all conspired to make the team look utterly unbeatable in domestic play. Barcelona ser la cançó de l'enfadós.

It's no surprise. Hansi Flick's Barcelona is one of the most consistent domestic teams in global soccer. It cruised to back-to-back titles under his leadership and outscored Real Madrid—its closest challenger in both years—by frankly ridiculous figures along the way: 24 goals in 2024-25 and 18 in 2025-26. Flick's Barcelona does not falter on home soil.

@espnfc Anthony Gordon with his second assist just in six minutes after subbing on, what a dream debut for him #barcelona #football #soccer #worldcup #espnsocial ♬ Montagem Mysterious Game - LXNGVX

Barcelona dominates in La Liga debut

It's fascinating, then, to square Barcelona's 5-0 win in this season opener against Flick's expectations before it began. For a man with plenty of experience winning big on domestic stages, Flick was cagey about Barcelona's chances against Elche, citing a busy summer and a busted pre-season as championship-derailing nuisances on his plate.

"It's an atypical and strange preseason," Flick said. "We have to respect the players' vacations, and this preseason isn't normal. We'll have to manage it until the international break; until then, we won't be at 100%."

Some of Flick's hedging makes sense; five of his fielded players in this match (Eric Garcia, Gavi, Pedri, Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal) were part of Spain's victorious World Cup run this summer and didn't get much rest between the final and the La Liga season. It's natural for Flick to want to protect them from unreasonable demands. But to hear Flick speak of Barcelona's readiness is not to hear a man spin a narrative for the sake of his tired players: he is clearly worried about the task ahead of them in the 2026-27 season. Flick wasn't just spitballing when he said Barcelona wouldn't be ready until after the international break in October. He was delivering a serious diagnosis.

The question that remains, then, is whether or not Flick was wrong. If he was, then Barcelona's 5-0 win over Elche is a sign that his young squad is ready to bounce back in a big way. If he wasn't, though—and Barcelona genuinely needs more time to find its highest level—then the rest of La Liga should be scared. The team's floor has been set at a 5-0 trouncing, after all.

The next few weeks should answer that question in full—but in the meantime, Barcelona looks to be singing the same old song it ever did. Annoying? Sure, to the rest of the league. But for the fans of the blaugrana, it's the kind of song you just want to play again and again. 

Barcelona will continue its La Liga season on Thursday, Aug. 27, against Athletic Bilbao.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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