One victory in six La Liga matches. This is the terrible record of FC Barcelona in recent weeks. After a fantastic start to the season which suggested that Hansi Flick’s team was going to win the Spanish championship, the return to earth was difficult and both Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid took the opportunity to catch up with the Catalans. And it is clear that there are several worrying signs which do not necessarily invite optimism for the future of events, especially since Barça will challenge Atlético who arrive on fire next weekend.
First, there is an obvious physical component. Hansi Flick’s players are exhausted and tired, and it shows when they have to press to recover the ball. Less fresh, the Barcelonans are therefore less reliable defensively, and this is also felt in attack, with a team which has less lucidity and clarity to set up its game. Barça has lost its spontaneity and its unpredictability which made it a team that is formidably difficult to neutralize during the first weeks of competition, and is not helped by individuals who, for various reasons, have also taken their foot off the gas. This is the case of Dani Olmo for example, who is experiencing a small period of slump after a thunderous debut or of Robert Lewandowski, who, despite impressive statistics, is struggling when it comes to participating in the game and misses also a good number of opportunities.
Lamine Yamal-dependence?
If Lamine Yamal’s injury is so worrying, it is because there clearly seems to be a dependence on the young Catalan’s exploits. He often seems, when his team is in difficulty, to be the only player capable of getting his head above water and making a difference. Even a Raphinha, however brilliant this season, can tend to liquefy when Barça goes through a weak time in a match. And in fact, it also seems to get stuck on a mental level, especially when the opponent takes the lead. Barça has not managed to win a match where it was first behind by the score since August! A sign that Hansi Flick’s team is struggling to react and find solutions during the match, even against much inferior rivals like Las Palmas or Leganés.
Obviously, the German tactician is also at the heart of the problem. He doesn’t really innovate and actually has difficulty reading matches, often being beaten by the opposing coach on that side. The changes he makes during the match rarely prove effective and rarely give new momentum to his team. This famous offside trap which had proven so effective during the first months of competition was quickly foiled by the opposing coaches, who worked and knew how to adapt. One less defensive weapon for Barça which still has so much difficulty with rapid transitions from opponents.
A limited workforce
It should also be noted, in Hansi Flick’s defense, that he has a fairly light workforce quantitatively and qualitatively. The financial constraints known to all that Barça faces have prevented the sports management from building a complete squad, and when the starters are absent, need rest or are replaced during the match, the level of the team drops drastically. . The gap in level between the usual players and the alternatives is too great and in such an intense and busy season, that inevitably has an influence. Conversely, a team like Atlético de Madrid is largely successful because Diego Simeone can count on a very well-stocked bench.
A team out of breath when the equator of the season has not even been crossed, and which does not invite optimism for the future. In the Catalan press, the analyzes are quite gray, and reflect a general disappointment which quickly made us forget the good feelings at the start of the season. Everything is not to be thrown away of course – Barça, for example, is coming off a big victory at Dortmund in the Champions League – but the crisis has set in and the result of this decisive match against Atlético, which risks to be played without Lamine Yamal, could either revive the team or plunge it into a very complicated dynamic. We also remind you that the club should not have the opportunity to strengthen itself in January, and that the question of Dani Olmo’s registration must still be resolved before the end of the month. The horizon is cloudy in Barcelona.
