Barcelona’s advantage at the top of the standings has evaporated after these three consecutive days without winning. Real Madrid, this one with a pending match that makes it depend on itself, and Atlético are already on its heels. The team that was flying against Bayern and Real Madrid in its magical week – but before that against Girona and Villarreal – has entered a blockage. The start of the season was spectacular but it has led to a black November with two defeats and a draw in the League. All eyes are on Flick, who was able to surprise by relying on youth but who now needs to show that he can correct on the fly and make the team react.
Koundé, Iñigo, Cubarsí, Pedri, Raphinha and Lewandowski
Wear and tear of the spine
It is good to have a fixed backbone at the beginning in order to consolidate a style, but if it is abused there is a danger of burning important men soon. There are five footballers who have played every game. They are Koundé, Cubarsí, Pedri, Raphinha and Lewandowski. Of the 20 matches, Iñigo Martínez only missed one and the Basque central defender is the most used player (1,686 minutes, 93%). “They are young and recover well,” explains Hansi Flick, who believes that Barcelona still needs to play all the games with the best possible eleven. But their game requires a lot of concentration and energy and these basic pieces are starting to weigh down their legs. Koundé had the mistake in Balaídos at 1-2 and Lewandowski, the only one who has always been a starter, looked tired.
From 3.3 goals per game to 1
Drop in effectiveness in front of goal
Goals were falling out of Barcelona’s pockets. Lewandowski, with 22 goals, is on his way to surpassing his best Blaugrana campaign, which is 33, while Raphinha (14) has already shattered all his records. In the first 12 days, the Blaugrana stood out for their spectacular offensive production, averaging 3.3 goals per game. However, in San Sebastián it was dry for the first time. It was the sign that something was beginning to go wrong. The offensive flow has plummeted. In the last three games – two losses and a draw – he has only celebrated three goals (1 on average). “If you score the first chance, everything changes,” laments Flick, who on Saturday still remembered the disallowed goal against Lewandowski in Anoeta, which was the only shot between the sticks. Instead, Cillessen made seven stops on Saturday. Fermín, who scored eight goals in the League last season, has not yet made his debut.
After the classics, the rivals have studied it
The offside tactic is no longer surprising
Twelve offsides They pointed it out to Real Madrid in the classic, which was the peak of Barcelona’s offside tactics. Flick was very bold to put the defense forward at the Bernabéu. That bravery was praised but also studied. In the last three games, only 10 offsides were reported, a sign that the surprise factor has disappeared. The rivals have adjusted their way of attacking with second line unchecking (Ilaix did it with Celta and his team and Javi Muñoz repeated it with Las Palmas) and with good timing to catch the back of the defense. This is how Becker’s goals came in Donosti or Fabio Silva in Montjuïc.
Casadó provides a lot of stability
Dance with five different midfielders
The position of organizer is key in Barcelona’s game and five different players have already played there. First it was Marc Bernal, seriously injured. Then Marc Casadó moved in. But center back Eric Garcia, De Jong and Gavi, who started on Saturday, have also played. Even though he was in the reserve team last year, Casadó’s weight is incredible. Without him, the team loses stability and has conceded four goals: the two from Balaídos after his expulsion and the two from Las Palmas.
Only six goals from the bench
Substitutes but not disruptive
In today’s football, substitutes play a key role, with five substitutions, but Flick is having a hard time finding good substitutes, players who come off the bench and can change the game. “You always expect changes. You think they allow you to play better,” admitted the German coach after Saturday’s triple replacement (De Jong, Ferran and Fort came on) but of Barça’s 61 goals, six have been from freshmen: Fermín, Pablo Torre (2) , Lamine Yamal, Ferran and Olmo.
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