Barcelona is in the middle of a crisis that 99% of European football clubs would like to experience too: top of La Liga, second in the Champions League, propelled by 17-year-old Lamine Yamal (a genius already here) his way towards Ballon d’Or status and surpasses Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the same stages of their respective careers), they won the Classic generously, and what’s more, they are almost guaranteed to collect 40 million euros simply by qualifying directly for the knockout stage of the revamped Champions League.
Add to that the fact – a fact much ignored when people come to assess the worth of a team – that Hansi Flick’s side have regularly played some of the most enjoyable and uplifting football in the world in recent times. months and in the vast majority of clubs. in the Premier League, Ligue 1, Bundesliga or Serie A would be entitled to look at you in disbelief and ask: “Crisis! What crisis?
Some of you may raise an eyebrow, Carlo Ancelotti-style, at seeing me use a word as dramatic and moving as “crisis.” However, I tend to be on the less hysterical side of the modern journalistic spectrum, so I looked up the definition for you. Merriam-Webster defines it as: “an unstable or crucial period or state of affairs in which decisive change is imminent, especially: a time with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome.”
In this context, let me set the table for you.
Yes, Barça were quite exciting when they scored four goals against Real Madrid, four against Bayern Munich, five against Mallorca and downright entertaining – even if they had defensive flaws – when they should have scoring six and conceding as many during their 3-2 away. victory at Borussia Dortmund last week (it was also the first time that Dortmund lost at home in the Champions League since 2021).
But there is a big word in the vocabulary of Spanish football, and it is a denigrating and derisive word: “resultist. “That is, someone who judges a team – its progress, its value, its attractiveness – on results. alonenot the way they actually play, nor the consistency or clarity of their ideas and decisions.
If you are accused of being a resultist by someone who speaks Spanish, so don’t doubt it: you will be made fun of, you will even be insulted. And if you are against the lazy and superficial analysis of a resultist, then the cracks in Barcelona’s facade are all too easy to identify and are rising towards the critical level that begins to define “crisis”.
Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat to Leganés was embarrassing, unfortunate, avoidable – and sinister.
The list of consequences was as follows: Barcelona failed to take advantage of Madrid’s two-point loss in the 3-3 draw at Rayo Vallecano and failed to build a three-point lead over the ‘Atlético Madrid before Diego Simeone’s match. Colchoneros come and play at the Barcelona Olympic Stadium this Saturday (stream LIVE at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the US).
Additionally, it was Barcelona’s second consecutive defeat at home (after the shock 2–1 loss to Las Palmas) and fourth defeat of the La Liga season. Just for information: Madrid only lost once before becoming champions last season.
Another consequence is that every time Barcelona has fallen behind on the scoreboard since the end of August, they have lost – no counterattack, not enough character or energy to bring a bad situation under some sort of control . There is no evidence that they understand that every point lost, in November and December as well as in April and May, can be vital to your chances of becoming champion.
And don’t forget that this now means that Barça, who some treated like champions-elect in early November when they beat Espanyol to move nine points ahead of Madrid and 10 points ahead of Atlético, has just taken five points out of a possible last 18.
He rubs the salt even more in the open air Blaugrana injuries that in the two draws that won those measly five points, at Celta and Betis, Barcelona were in the lead but conceded goals in the 84th, 86th and 94th minutes respectively to squander four points by turning the wins into draws .
There are a few elements that, beyond the dramatic turnaround at the top of the title race, scream: “Crisis!”
Firstly, La Liga teams have fully understood how to play against Barcelona’s bold, high-risk defensive line, which was such a muscular point of their early-season identity. Second, the vast majority of Flick’s players look like ghostly, pale versions of themselves. Tired, lacking sharpness….continue the movements. Third, the coach himself most certainly contributed to the ongoing malaise by not rotating the team often enough or well enough.
Finally, when the team is flying and dominating at the top of the field, Robert Lewandowski was efficient in his finishing. This hides the fact that when his in-form teammates aren’t providing him with blatant, gilded scoring opportunities, he’s a passenger. Slow, painfully prone to not controlling the ball or passing it well, and a non-impact asset who makes his team feel like they’re 10 on 11. When he starts the Keystone Cops finish like he did shown on Sunday against Leganés, you might wonder: should he even start the matches now?
If you want an icon for the image that Barcelona currently gives in La Liga, you can choose their lowest attendance of the season, shoulders slumped at full time, Yamal limping in the second half, kept going while clearly injured. — or you could choose Antonio Rüdiger at an event in Munich laughing happily and mischievously at the final score “Barcelona 0-1 Leganés”.’
It is not difficult to understand his feelings. The Champions were trailing at Rayo, seemed to be struggling, equalized, then led but finally conceded to Isi Palazón to lose two points at Vallecas. But they always reduce the gap on Barcelona.
All this makes the visit of Atlético Madrid on Saturday absolutely volcanic. Flick will still be absent from the touchline due to suspension and the fact that Yamal is injured, depending on medical examinations, could already determine the result a few days before kick-off (Barcelona were unable to win a single match in La Liga when he was not present). in the starting lineup).
For all that the eccentric, idiosyncratic but undeniably powerful Simeone has achieved while in charge of Atléti over the past 13 years, winning at Barcelona in La Liga is not one of them. In fact, Atléti haven’t done so in almost 19 years.
Even though this is the team that beat Bayern and Madrid and has played with scintillating, arrogant vivacity at times in recent months, it’s a record that could easily change this weekend and disappear. The Colchoneros leading La Liga for the Christmas break, heading into a tumultuous 2025 as outright leader of the Spanish league. Make an appointment with your TV, don’t miss it.
