New setback for FC Barcelona in the championship. On Saturday, the Catalan club had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Betis, caught in the 90th +4 by a goal from Assane Diao. A new poor performance which allows Real Madrid to come back to just two points, with one game less, and Atlético to come in strong behind as well. With only one success in its last five appearances in the league, Hansi Flick’s team is starting to worry…
If players like Frenkie de Jong are singled out, the German tactician also has things to be ashamed of… And he probably knows it. As the Spanish media point out, we are starting to see an increasingly tense Hansi Flick. Very serene and calm at the start of the season, when everything was going well, the former German coach is starting to show more and more signs of annoyance in his technical area. He also begins to be more and more vehement against the referees, a clear sign that he has lost the tranquility that characterized him so much.
Flick starts to panic…
His expulsion against Betis – which will also earn him 2 suspension matches in La Liga – is the biggest symbol of this. A blatant frustration which can be explained in large part because of the difficulties experienced by his team, sometimes unrecognizable if we compare it to Barça who dazzled all of Europe during the first weeks of competition. She seems to have lost all spontaneity and fluidity in the game, relying mainly on the brilliant moves of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. The rival teams give the impression of having understood how to neutralize this Barça and Flick can no longer find solutions.
The observation is perhaps even more worrying in defense. Rather solid behind at the start of the season, Barça have conceded 2 goals in 3 of their last 4 La Liga matches. The famous offside trap developed by Hansi Flick no longer works, since here too, the opponents have worked to adapt. The team has also lost its intensity and its aggressiveness in recovering the ball, and is allowing opponents to create chances more and more easily. We are also starting to see the gaps in the squad, with replacements having difficulty rising to the level of the starters. With a very busy schedule looming in the coming months, Hansi Flick has his work cut out for him…
