Barcelona's Five-Goal Explosion Raises the Question: Who Needs a Striker?

Without a senior center forward in the squad and without a natural striker playing a single minute, Barcelona kicked off their 2026–27 La Liga title defense with a commanding 5–0 demolition of Elche on Sunday evening.

Barcelona entered the new season missing their top two strikers from the Hansi Flick era. Robert Lewandowski brought his celebrated Barcelona chapter to a close in May, and Ferran Torres followed suit after pushing through a transfer to European champions Paris Saint-Germain earlier in August.

Landing a world-class striker had been Barcelona's top priority even before Torres's exit, with Atlético Madrid's Julián Alvarez long considered the dream target. However, Los Rojiblancos have made Barça's pursuit of the Argentine virtually impossible, refusing to enter into any negotiations. So far, the Catalans have not seriously explored a plan B on the open market.

Despite being without both senior strikers from last season and making no new additions to the position, Barcelona still managed five goals from seven shots on target and carved out nine big chances in their season opener. Raphinha—deployed in the No. 9 role—and Fermín López each netted twice, while summer arrivals Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon combined for a goal and two assists.

It was a near-perfect attacking performance from a side that is clearly still finding its rhythm.

But if Barcelona can be that lethal right out of the blocks, how much more dangerous can they become once all the pieces are in place? More crucially, is signing a striker truly a necessity given how potent Barça's attack already appears to be?

Barcelona Following a Paris Saint-Germain Approach

Barcelona have not signed a striker this summer, but they did invest over $100 million in two natural wingers with the flexibility to operate across the entire front line: Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi.

Adding them to Barcelona's established superstar wing duo of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal gives Flick the tools to deploy a fluid, dynamic, and lightning-quick attack. Aside from Yamal, the other three wingers also press relentlessly in the high press, a hallmark of the German coach's philosophy.

With these profiles in place, Barça could very well construct an attack similar to the one Luis Enrique has built at Paris Saint-Germain over the past two seasons.

The Parisians have claimed back-to-back Champions League titles with a front three composed entirely of natural wingers, with former Barcelona wide-man Ousmane Dembélé frequently leading the line centrally while enjoying the freedom to interchange with fellow forwards Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Raphinha has the qualities to excel in the Dembélé role for Barça, and in his first start as a striker in over a year, he scored twice and added an assist. Gordon could also fill that role, with the England international no stranger to playing as a No. 9.

Dani Olmo and Fermín López operating as attacking midfielders—constantly making runs into the box and rotating with whoever plays as the false nine—adds yet another dimension to Barça's attack. Olmo in particular is also capable of leading the line as a false nine himself. One of Barcelona's finest performances under Flick came in a 5–1 rout of Real Betis in the 2024–25 Copa del Rey, with Olmo registering two assists from that position.

Barcelona do not lack quality match-winners in attack, and Flick has an abundance of options to turn his side into an attacking force this season. They do, however, lack a natural striker profile, which could prove to be a significant weakness in specific situations.

Barcelona Can't Be Prisoners of the Moment

Barcelona debut their Kobe Bryant kit on what would have been his birthday.

A 5-0 win to start the season. A fitting tribute. https://t.co/q63YKkTddi pic.twitter.com/tUV4Z8u7hV

It's difficult not to be impressed by how formidable Barcelona's attack looked in their season opener against Elche, but ultimately, decisions cannot be made on the basis of a single game, particularly given the nature of the opposition.

Barcelona beat Elche 3–1 on two occasions last season, with Flick's side enjoying themselves against Antonio Sanabria's adventurous approach. Now, under Martín Anselmi, Elche are even more willing to take risks regardless of the opponent, and Barça made them pay.

Elche attempted to press high on Sunday night and played with an aggressive defensive line that would have earned Flick's approval. As a result, Barcelona and their aforementioned pacey attackers ran riot, exploiting the vast space behind the hosts' backline to devastating effect. The clearest illustration was Barça's fifth goal, when Gordon squared the ball to López for a simple tap-in inside the penalty area with no defender anywhere near the play.

Against sides that take risks and play aggressively while leaving space to exploit, Barcelona's striker-less attack can undoubtedly flourish. But it will likely be a very different story when opponents choose to sit deep in a compact low block designed to eliminate space.

Without a reference point inside the penalty area capable of functioning as a target man, it is easy to imagine Barcelona's attack struggling against low blocks. Needing a goal, Barcelona simply could not find a way to break down an Atlético Madrid sitting deep in the final 45 minutes of their 2025–26 Champions League campaign—and that was with Torres and Lewandowski on the pitch.

A Striker Is Needed, But Not Any Striker

There is little doubt that securing a striker of Alvarez's caliber would significantly strengthen Barcelona's attack. The Catalans could benefit from a natural striker, and the club's leadership is well aware of this.

"We have internal solutions [for the striker role]," Barcelona sporting director Deco acknowledged recently. "But we will probably make a move before the end of the transfer window. We've brought in two players up top," he added. "Lewandowski's absence is difficult to replace, Ferran's is covered by Gordon and Adeyemi."

Following the victory over Elche, Flick himself spoke about Barcelona's intentions to sign a striker. "We'll speak with Deco and we have to do what's best for the club and it will be next week."

Unsurprisingly, Barcelona's desire to bring in a center forward remains firm given how light they are at the position, with 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim—who has yet to make his official senior debut—the only natural No. 9 currently available to Flick.

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But the Catalans would also be wise not to sign a striker simply for the sake of doing so. The plan has always been to bring in an elite replacement for Lewandowski, not just any ordinary frontman. Deco and the board should not stray from that original strategy.

Barcelona's striker shortage is far from ideal, but making a panic signing could prove even more damaging. If Alvarez or another striker of comparable quality is not a realistic option in what remains of the window, Flick has talented in-house alternatives to manage in the meantime.

It is no secret that Barcelona's attack remains a work in progress, but that does not mean it cannot be effective. If the absence of a true striker becomes a glaring issue in the opening months of the campaign, then, with a larger sample size, Barcelona could reassess the situation when the January transfer window arrives.