Six past Alavés and a defence on loan

Barça went into Saturday night on the first losing run of the season, after 11 straight wins in all competitions ended at Paris Saint-Germain and against Real Madrid. Alavés were the visitors, led by Quique Sánchez Flores, who had not won in seven visits to Barcelona as a coach. His side arrived seventh in La Liga. Barça won 6–1 and led 4–0 at half-time. Raphinha scored twice from Fermín López passes, López scored one and Lamine Yamal scored either side of the break. Anthony Gordon added a sixth off the bench. With four defenders out, Hansi Flick gave Brian Fariñas, a 20-year-old La Masia midfielder, his debut at right-back. Frenkie de Jong played beside Pau Cubarsí in the centre and João Cancelo on the left. On Friday Flick said Barça could not give the ball away cheaply again as they had against Real Madrid, and he asked for more concentration inside their own box. Barça had 77% of the ball, and the one goal they conceded came when Mariano Díaz, the Alavés striker, punished a loose pass from Rodri. It was Flick's 100th win as Barça coach, in his 131st match. Barça are back top of La Liga on 30 points, two ahead of Atlético de Madrid and three ahead of Real Madrid, who won 3–0 at Racing de Santander on Sunday. Barça's goal difference of +34 is the best in La Liga by 16.

Barça's defender crisis is bad, and the league table should not hide it. Four defenders are out. Jules Koundé sprained his left ankle at Real Betis and has no confirmed return date. Xavi Espart, the 19-year-old La Masia full-back, faces about seven weeks out with an ankle ligament injury from the Clásico. Eric García may be out with a thigh injury until after the November international break, and Andreas Christensen has not played since hurting his thigh at Sevilla on 19 September. Last week Barça conceded six goals in five days, at Paris Saint-Germain and at home to Real Madrid. Hansi Flick has two fit centre-backs, Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín. Martín has played with discomfort since Betis and began on the bench against Alavés. After Paris Flick said titles are not won in October. He is right, but Barça can lose ground in the winter with a patched back four playing twice a week. Ronald Araújo left on loan for Liverpool in the summer and no centre-back replaced him. Thursday's board statement backed the squad and the coaching staff and said nothing about signing a defender in January. Flick has not ruled out signing a centre-back, and a sale could ease the salary limit. Christensen and García could return in November and Espart in December, and a back four that needs all of them is one injury from the same shortage. Barça have to sign at least one senior defender in January.

Hansi Flick was asked about Alejandro Balde on Friday and said the left-back does not have the confidence he needs and lacks the conviction to attack and press high. Going into Saturday, Balde had played 88 minutes in three matches this season without a start, coming on as a substitute at Paris Saint-Germain and in the Clásico. In the same press conference Flick spoke at length about Brian Fariñas, a 20-year-old midfielder from Benicarló, in Castelló province, who joined La Masia from Villarreal in 2018. Until Saturday, Fariñas was the only registered first-team player without a minute this season. Flick called him very intelligent and said the time had come for him to play, possibly at full-back. Against Alavés, Fariñas made his debut at right-back and played the whole match, while Balde started on the bench again and replaced João Cancelo at left-back after 62 minutes. Flick is entitled to want more from his left-back, but he said it days before a Champions League match in which Balde may be needed. Balde will go into it knowing exactly what his coach thinks.

Barça won five awards at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on Monday, more than any other club. Harry Kane won the men's award, with Kylian Mbappé second and Lamine Yamal third. Yamal also won the Young Talent of the Year award, formerly the Kopa Trophy, for the best player under 21 for the third year running. The other four went to the Femení, starting with women's club of the year. Pere Romeu won women's coach of the year, Cata Coll took the women's Yashin Trophy and Vicky López won the women's Kopa. Ewa Pajor finished second in the women's vote, with Patri Guijarro, Caroline Graham Hansen and Clàudia Pina also in the top eight. The winner was Alexia Putellas, who captained Barça to a quadruple in 2025–26 and joined London City Lionesses in July after her contract ran out. She won 38 trophies in 14 seasons at the club. Letting her go at 32 was not a mistake.

The Femení won 8–0 at HB Køge, the Danish club, on Thursday, with seven different players scoring. Caroline Graham Hansen opened with a penalty after 12 minutes, Clàudia Pina scored twice late on and Patri Guijarro scored around the hour. It was Pere Romeu's 100th win as Barça coach. Barça are top of the league phase with three wins from three, 19 goals scored and two conceded, and they are the only side left with a perfect record. Only Paris FC, beaten 5–2 in the opener, have scored against Barça in the league phase. On Sunday Barça won 4–0 at Badalona Women in Liga F, in a match played at Palamós, with Guijarro and Pina starting on the bench. Kerolin, the Brazilian forward, scored twice, her first Liga F goals for the club, Graham Hansen scored a penalty and Pina came on to score the fourth, her tenth league goal. Badalona's Lucía Martínez was sent off for the foul that gave the penalty, leaving them with ten for the last half-hour. Clara Serrajordi went off early in the second half with a twisted ankle. Barça lead Liga F on 24 points, two ahead of Real Madrid. Arsenal, the side that beat Barça in the 2025 final, are next in the league phase.