Barcelona’s blip continues
Hansi Flick has admitted Barcelona had a “sh*tty” November but had hoped the team had put that behind them by beating Mallorca last time out.
Barcelona looked on course for another victory at the Benito Villamarin on Saturday but twice threw away a lead and had to settle for a point.
The problem is that giving up leads is becoming a nasty habit for Hansi Flick’s side.
4 - No team has dropped more points from winning positions than FC Barcelona in LaLiga since the start of November 2024 (4, the same as Osasuna). Fatigue. pic.twitter.com/DEBXzce8lL
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 7, 2024
All in all it was a tough afternoon for Flick, who was sent off in the second half, although he admitted he hadn’t a clue why he was handed a straight red card.
What he did know what that his team were not good enough: “It was not a good match. We have a young team and we have to improve a lot. It’s what we have to do. It’s up to us, we have the quality to win every match but we also have to show that.”
Barca’s strong start to the season was really impressive, but it’s in danger of being overshadowed unless Flick can get the team firing again quickly.
Barcelona’s squad depth shown up
There are issues with Barcelona’s squad depth which were on show yet again on Saturday against Betis.
Dani Olmo, Raphinha. Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Alejandro Balde all went off and there’s no hiding the fact that there’s a big drop off when it comes to their replacements,
Pau Victor and Hector Fort both lack top-level experience, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong are working their way back from long injury lay-offs and Ferran Torres scored again but continues to frustrate fans with his performances.
5 - Ferran Torres has scored five goals in 10 games against Real Betis, his highest tally against the same opponent in his career in all competitions in Europe's big five leagues. Decisive. pic.twitter.com/E0vc4aB5AD
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 7, 2024
Inaki Pena admitted that Barcelona were “outplayed” by Betis in the second half, while Flick said he made the changes as he had one eye on the midweek trip to Dortmund in the Champions League.
It’s an issue that’s likely to be an increasing factor as the season progresses and Flick aims to win silverware in his debut season at Barca.
The positives: Inaki, Lewy and Lamine
Saturday’s result will be a disappointment but there were still some positives from the game that Barcelona can take.
Inaki Pena has had to deal with plenty of criticism this season, and there are still doubts over his suitability as Barca’s No.1, but he made some crucial saves against Betis.
The arrival of Wojciech Szczęsny at Barcelona actually seems to have helped Pena but this performance only served to cement his position as Barca’s first choice.
Elsewhere, Lewandowski continued his superb form, with his latest goal ensuring he’s on Messi-like form.
16 - Robert Lewandowski is the first player to score 16 goals in his first 16 games of a LaLiga season since Lionel Messi in 2018/19 (also 16), both with FC Barcelona. Performance. pic.twitter.com/CV9C0sN05B
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 7, 2024
And then there’s Lamine. Ferran Torres may have scored against Betis but his goal was all about Yamal.
The vision he demonstrated to play Ferran through was a joy to watch and his frustration at the end of the game was felt by all culers.